Return to Transcripts main page

Hala Gorani Tonight

G7 Leaders Meet for First Time in Nearly 2 Years; Jill Biden Tours School with Duchess of Cambridge; Cruise Ship Docks In Dubrovnik As Tourism Picks Up Steam; Thousands Of Olympic Volunteers Quit Over COVID Fears; British Royals Meet G7 Leaders At Eden Project. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 11, 2021 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Leaders of the world's most powerful democracies are meeting face-to-face for the first time in nearly two years

and getting down to business. Hello, and welcome back to Cornwall where the G7 is happening right now, I'm Hala Gorani, there's a lot on the agenda.

And as we have been showing you right now, the British royal family and the G7 leaders are gathering at the Eden Project for a reception and dinner.

Earlier, the American President Joe Biden and the first lady were greeted with elbow-bumps by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife.

And it was a very warm hello between French President Emmanuel Macron and the U.S. leader after the two had a one-on-one conversation, Mr. Macron

sent out an encouraging tweet saying, quote, "it's time to deliver". The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also all smiles as he made his

entrance into the G7 Summit today. Put on his mask there and elbow-bumped Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie. Once everyone was in place, they

gathered for the traditional family photo. But after that, the real work began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED KINGDOM: I think that is what the people of the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: The global economy was the main focus of today's talks and underlining it all of course the COVID-19 pandemic. It's something the

British Prime Minister addressed right away when he called for an equal recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: Be sure that we're beating the pandemic together and discussing how we'll never have a repeat of what we've seen, but also that we're

building back better together. And building back greener and building back fairer and building back more equal and in a more gender-neutral and

perhaps a more feminine way. How about that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward joins us. The British Prime Minister has a habit of saying eyebrow raising things, isn't

he?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is no stranger to those kinds of remarks that make your toes curl just a tiny

bit.

GORANI: Yes.

WARD: But I think more broadly speaking, what we saw today was a display of world leaders enjoying being back in each other's presence. Enjoying being

able to do some diplomacy face-to-face. You know, as we've been talking about before, this era of Zoom diplomacy with all of the difficulties and

challenges that arise as a result, now starting to be a little bit in the rear-view mirror, and this feels like kind of a new chapter almost for them

to sit down together face-to-face.

GORANI: And there are big issues that need tackling. Climate. It's a make- or-break time, according to many scientists, obviously, there's the pandemic. There's the global economic recovery. We're coming out of a

horrific medical emergency that the entire world suffered through, and that some parts of the world are still very much in the midst of. And so, these

leaders that still even though they represent less of the global GDP than they once did still are the richest countries in the world.

WARD: They have their work cut out for them here. And all of this is happening against the backdrop as well, Hala, of this kind of existential

moment for liberal democracies in general. We're seeing the rise of authoritarianism across the world according to a recent study for the first

time since 2001, there are now more authoritarian regimes than there are democracies. So, how does the G7 stay relevant? How do these leaders come

together in concert and form united front against the challenges and threats posed by countries like Russia and like China of course?

GORANI: Exactly. And we don't have obviously, at the table, China, India is invited, but Prime Minister Modi is joining virtually because his country

as you well know since you reported from there as well is going through a horrific COVID emergency there.

[14:05:00]

We have the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa now, but all these big countries that now represent a big chunk of global GDP are not part of

this club.

WARD: And that will be the criticism that in some quarters will be leveled at the G7. And when President Trump said that the organization was

outdated, while it felt inappropriate to say something like that, given the timing, there are people who will agree with that. Who will say what does

this really mean? What does this stand for? We live in a different world now. We live in a modern world. We live in a multi-polar world. What does

it mean to be the G7? And that's why this summit is so crucial because it gives them the opportunity with the new U.S. president at the helm to kind

of make their mark and make it clear that they can still be relevant.

Hence, the significance of, you know, COVID vaccines, 1 billion of them being distributed by the G7, that is certainly an attempt, I think to sort

of put their stamp on things and say the G7 can still be relevant and can still be a powerful force for the world.

GORANI: What do world leaders want from Joe Biden? It's not enough that he's just not Donald Trump? I mean, what do they want from the United

States in this day and age?

WARD: I think they want to see the kind of global leadership that they've been used to. They want to see the commitment to alliances, and they want

to see commitment to the values of liberal democracies to human rights. I mean, you look at the new Atlantic Charter that Prime Minister Boris

Johnson and President Biden announced yesterday. And it's very clear that they are trying to cast themselves as two leaders reshaping a world not in

the aftermath of the war, as was the case with Churchill and Roosevelt, but in the aftermath of the COVID-19 vaccine -- the COVID-19 pandemic.

And with these very real challenges facing liberal democracies that are not just challenges of the economy, the climate, but also challenges of the

very nature of liberal democracies and whether they can be effective in standing up as a bulwark against more authoritarian regimes.

GORANI: All right, our chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward, thanks very much. We'll be talking to you over the next few days as this G7

Summit gets under way. We are seeing there -- I believe these are -- these are Joe -- the two -- the presidential couple and the prime minister of the

U.K. Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, and soon after that, there was a family photo. Thanks very much, Clarissa will be speaking soon. And joining

me now from London, Robin Niblett; director of Chatham House. I'll ask you -- no, we don't have Robin Niblett, hopefully we'll get him soon.

Where are we going now then? All right -- all right, Kate Bennett, I understand is joining us live. Kat Bennett, talk to us a little bit about

Jill Biden and her role in this G7. She is somebody who knows public life very well. She was of course, the wife of a vice president for many years,

the wife of a senator as well. Talk to us about her role and how she wants to cast herself at this G7 Summit.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, first of all, she kicked it off by wearing a blazer with the word "love" and blazing down the

back yesterday. I think everyone noticed that mostly because it was quite the opposite of the famous jacket Melania Trump her predecessor wore back

in 2018. But I think what Jill Biden is doing here is exploring her role as first lady. She is as you said a very seasoned political spouse. She has on

her agenda for this visit about four solo events that are completely separate from the G7 spousal events. And that's really saying something.

She wants to let people know that she's not necessarily -- she's a great hype woman for her husband, but she's not necessarily there to just do what

they're doing. She wants to shine a light on some issues she's focused on, like military families, and of course, this morning, we saw her with the

Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton going to the school. I mean, both women are interested in children and education. Jill Biden is a decade's long

educator. She's currently first lady who has a day job, so to speak, working as a community college professor here at a school nearby to

Washington D.C.

So, the two of them meeting for the first time over something like education. I think it bonded them a bit this morning. And you know,

clearly, she's as you said taken second lady status for many years, for eight years, going on a lot of these foreign trips supporting her husband.

But this time, you know, meeting royals, meeting the queen, going to Windsor Palace on Sunday. If you know Jill Biden, her friends will tell

you, she's a very down to earth person. She's a call me Jill, call me Dr. B., not first lady, not ma'am.

[14:10:00]

You know, she'll stand where she wants to, she'll talk to who she wants, she'll hug, she'll touch. So, I think this is going to be interesting to

see how things work with the royal family especially the queen, considering, you know, Michelle Obama's first visit and other such, you

know, first ladies throughout history who have interacted with her. The queen is of course an expert on visiting Presidents and first ladies. She's

met 12 of American presidents during her reign as queen.

So, it will be interesting to watch as Jill from Philly, Philadelphia, finds her way to the palace and meets the queen. But certainly, this is a

first lady who is really telling people with this trip that she has an agenda of her own, and she's someone who plans to flex that muscle and

really show that she's not just there in a supporting role, but she has other things on her mind.

GORANI: All right, Kate Bennett, thanks very much. Joining us from Washington with more on Jill Biden's role in this G7 Summit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, good evening to you. HALA GORANI TONIGHT continues. Hala is in Cornwall at the G7 where we're having

one or two difficulties.

[14:15:00]

I'm Richard Quest, tonight we're doing "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" from Croatia, I'm in Dubrovnik. So, allow me to talk you through what we've been seeing

today at the G7. The G7 leaders are now all together, and what you saw earlier was a picture of them with her majesty the queen. It's -- there was

a reception for G7 leaders with her majesty. It is the start of the summit meeting, the significance of which by the way is, this is the first time

the G7 has met in person. Now, there have been numerous G7s virtually, G20s virtually.

But for the first time in two years, they are all together. And there you see the pictures. Her majesty the queen in her mid-90s. So, she is there

along with the other members at this very famous environmental site in Cornwall. His name of course immediately escapes me, at the right moment --

with her majesty, of course is the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, along with the other G7. Interesting one, this time because there are several new

members.

There are several new members. First of all, you have Mario Draghi, now, he is a well oiled old hand at these events, having been the president of the

ECB for two terms. But now he's here with a very partisan way as the head of the -- as the Prime Minister of Italy. And the Prime Minister of Japan

also a new B at this particular G7. As for the one who has been there the longest, you don't need me to remind you, that is Angela Merkel. And this

is one of her last major meetings because Angela Merkel of course, will be stepping down after elections that take place in Germany.

A packed agenda. Robin from Chatham House is with me to talk me through what's been happening so far. I think we have to start, Robin, with the

reality that this G7, the dynamics of it will be different. These are multilateralist who fundamentally like each other and have a large area of

common interest with the U.S. President Joe Biden.

ROBIN NIBLETT, DIRECTOR, CHATHAM HOUSE: Yes, Richard, great to be with you. Yes, look, I think this is a consequential G7. G7s are usually rather

theatrical, certainly when the Crimea annexation took place in Russia's invasion into eastern Ukraine. That was a moment when the G7 came together

-- it was important. But there's been -- this big hiatus during the Trump presidency, and the way I think of it now is a bit like trying to say the

G7 is back. Not just Biden is back, but the G7 is back. So, he's got to show it's back.

I think he wants to show that it's big, it's more than just the G7, more than just perhaps kind of sleepy Europe and traditional United States plus

Canada and Japan. But you've also got this influx of new blood with Australia, South Korea, India and South Africa reportedly included in the

mix as well. Many of these have been invited before as guests. But Boris Johnson in his little op-ed recently called it "the democratic 11", like

you know, a football team of 11. So, it's back. It's bigger. It looks united as you said. Now, the key question is, can it act? Can it do

something? And that's going to be the test for the next few days.

QUEST: OK, but on that point, I've always believed, and others disagree with me that the G20 is a waste of time. It's good at technical issues when

it comes to banking and finance, but actually, as a political grouping, the G20 -- now, this isn't the first time that people have tried to put

together. Berlusconi, you will remember, tried to increase the G7, and I don't mean by adding Russia. Do you see a future for this wider grouping,

and after that we'll talk about the agenda that's underway?

NIBLETT: Well, look, there were discussions ahead of this G7 Summit we've had last year when the U.K. formally took up the present seat. But this

would become a -- but a D10. A democratic 10. It was a lot of resistance including among some of the existing members not to formally enlarge it to

a bigger group where you would always know it would be a new number, a D number or a G number. And I think they've settled on this idea that you

have a core G7 where you know you've got a certain amount of experience and reliability of working together and habits of cooperation. But then pick

and choose, maybe some reliable returnees give them --

QUEST: Right --

NIBLETT: Real profile and real presence, but I don't think we're going to see this become a four more new grouping. I mean, countries like India have

a slightly different agenda on some aspects of climate or on trade.

[14:20:00]

And even on some of the human rights issues. A country like Australia has quite a different position, recently at least on climate. So, they're going

to be very careful about turning into something formally bigger, I don't think that will happen.

QUEST: Right. OK, so, if we assume that they have a commonality of view, a democratic commonality of view, and Donald Trump is not there so they can

at least all be polite to each other. Can they get anything done, and if they can, what will the focus be? And I realize COVID is one area. COVID is

one area where they can find some commonality. But for instance, Robin, reopening Trans-Atlantic trade routes or at least EU, U.S. tourism. Can

they get a -- can they get a greater agreement on the environment, on climate change, greater than already exists?

NIBLETT: Yes, look -- sorry, I think the first thing, I mean, you put it at the top of your list. If you're going to show that you're back, that you're

big and you've got influence, vaccines is the area because there's a desperate yawning gap between what the G7 claims they want to do in terms

of climate, and the fact some of the countries' worst affected by the climate crisis are the poorest. And if they get poorer in the intervening

months as a result of COVID-19, then you're not going to get them stepping up and becoming part of the big push on climate if they're being

overwhelmed by new waves of the coronavirus crisis.

So, I think this pledge of 1 billion doses of anti-corona vaccine --

QUEST: Right --

NIBLETT: Is important. I mean, maybe, the number is not as big as it should be, we've got -- need 11 billion doses, probably they'll get the world

probably vaccinated. But it's like a big number. It's like a solid --

QUEST: Right --

NIBLETT: Number, and provided the funding comes with it, I think it means something.

QUEST: So, Robin, talk us through, just give me a guidance, please, over the next two or three days -- I beg your pardon, Robin, I'll come back to

you later for that. The Prince of Wales is speaking. Prince Charles at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

CHARLES PHILIP ARTHUR GEORGE, PRINCE OF WALES: Of course, we did not fully see COVID coming, yet climate change and by diversity lost represent a

borderless crisis. The solutions to which have been argued about and postponed for far too long. The fight against this terrible pandemic

provides -- if ever one was needed, a crystal-clear example of the scale and sheer speed at which the global community can tackle crisis when we

combine political will with business ingenuity and public mobilization.

This certainly, we are doing it for the pandemic, so if you don't mind me saying so, we must also do it for the planet. And this is why I'm

particularly grateful to the Prime Minister for making time in this very packed G7 program to bring the vital ingredients of political will and

business ingenuity together in the same space. Because to build back better, we need above all a truly effective partnership between government

and business in order to mobilize finance and innovation and to deliver a just transition for developed and developing economies alike.

So, with this urgency in mind, my sustainable market issue has brought together over 300 global CEOs forming a coalition of the willing. They have

over $60 trillion in assets under management, and crucially, a determination to direct tens of trillions of dollars toward sustainable

investment by 2030. With invaluable support from the world's four largest accountancy firms, we are identifying the roadblocks to sustainable growth,

and the practical solutions which would shift them out of the way. If I -- if you could bear it, let me just give one practical example of how the

government business partnership model delivers success.

Back in 2014, offshore wind was described as the most expensive way of delivering the most marginal impact on climate change. The technology

existed, but it was a risky venture. Yet, today, offshore wind is an essential part of our energy mix. The transformation happened because

government sent clear market signals through its climate change commitments and regulations.

[14:25:00]

Finance therefore had the confidence to invest and this allowed business innovation to improve the turbines and respond to demand. Meanwhile,

consumers benefit from green energy and falling prices. Only through this sort of government and business coalition can we once again literally put

the wind in our sails and win the battle against climate change across all sectors, from agriculture to aviation, from fossil fuels to fashion. While,

of course, the scale of the challenge is clearly immense and the window of opportunity to tackle it is closing extremely fast.

We -- business leaders working through my sustainable markets initiative over the past 16 months have helped us develop the terra cotta, a road map

if you like, offering practical steps on where we need to go and crucially how to get there. In all our work, three powerful messages from business

stand out. First, industry and finance need clear market signals. Standards and regulation in order to provide the essential conditions to enable a

more rapidly to re-orientate their operations and make the required transition.

Second international financial institutions need better ways to leverage public funding to catalyze private finance and mitigate risk. And third, a

transformative outcome will require a pipeline of fully developed and genuinely sustainable projects at sufficient scale and ready for

investment. For example, in round table meetings, I have convened with Commonwealth leaders from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Pacific, we have

identified large financing gaps for green energy, water, sanitation, transport and other transition infrastructure. So, thank you your

excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, giving up your precious time for this short meeting.

And I can only hope it will be possible to work together towards the G20 and COP26 and to match trillions of dollars with sustainable investments to

deliver the target of 1.5 degrees or better still less than that. Now, I know the Prime Minister would like to say a few words and then perhaps we

could turn to the CEO of the Bank of America Brian Moynihan who co-chairs the Sustainable Markets Initiative with me, and as I said, it's nearly

finished him off completely in the last 16 months to offer a brief private sector perspective. Prime Minister.

(APPLAUSE)

QUEST: So, there you have -- oh, there we have the Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales with his address to the G7. Interestingly, forgive the name

dropping, but when I interviewed the Prince of Wales just a few months ago, this -- he did talk about the G7 and he talked about the work that he hoped

the G7 would do coming together in Cornwall to try and keep limited to at least one and a half degrees or less as he said today. Whether they can do

that at this particular grouping on this meeting highly unlikely.

This meeting in Cornwall is about rebuilding bridges, reopening economies and finding the way forward. We will continue HALA GORANI TONIGHT in

Cornwall, I'm here Dubrovnik for "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS", it's all still to come on CNN.

[14:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back. Apologies for these technical issues that we had that knocked us off there at pretty much the most crucial moment of this G7

gathering at the Eden Project biosphere. But Richard Quest, my colleague, who is currently in Dubrovnik, Croatia, took over so thanks very much,

Richard, really appreciate it. Thanks for jumping in.

We were due to talk about international travel picking back up in Europe with the Coronavirus decline and many more people vaccinated. A quick word

on that, we are -- will be joined in a moment by our Senior White House correspondent Phil Mattingly is standing by. But talk to us a little bit

about the -- from your vantage point in Croatia, which is a big tourism destination, how things are going.

QUEST: Well, there's only one subject on many people's minds in Europe at the moment and it is when can we have a holiday? When can we get away? And

what we're seeing is this patchwork of reopenings taking place. Some places require a COVID test, other places will let you in if you're just -- if

you're vaccinated or negative test. Well, Croatia has basically thrown open the doors and said if you're negative or you have a vaccination, you are

welcome. And they are seeing numbers growing by the day.

And Hala, we are here tonight because it's an inflection point for European travel and tourism as they get ready for the European digital pass, which

goes continent wide from July the 1st. So tonight's "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," you'll hear from the CEO, Ryanair, easyJet, Air France -- Air France-KLM.

And, of course, you'll also hear from, well, the Prime Minister of Croatia.

GORANI: All right, Richard, we look forward to a top of the hour "Quest Means Business" live from Croatia. Let's go to our Senior White House

Correspondent, Phil Mattingly, who's with me here. So we saw Joe Biden there make his entrance of the Eden Project location where this big lavish

dinner is taking place. So one of the things I was discussing with our Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, is that we know that the

U.S. wants to say America is back.

But European leaders and the leaders of other richer nations are worried that maybe another election will bring in another Donald Trump and another

iteration of Donald Trump who does not want to embrace multinational organizations. There is still a lot of concern that American democracy will

bring to the fore, the type of leader that Donald Trump was.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And I think rightfully so, right? You can't look at what's going on.

[14:35:01]

Yes, Joe Biden is the President of United States. Yes, I think when you talk to Biden administration officials. They will never even say the name

Donald Trump. They believe that they've completely turned the page. But anybody who's been paying attention to what's going on domestically in the

United States right now, there's no reason for those concerns to dissipate.

Now, I think that's part of the reason why the President is here. And part of the message that he's trying to bring right now that, yes, we want to

show the world that we are back, as he says repeatedly, yes, we want to show the world that Western democracies are not in decline, but in fact,

can work together.

But I think it's also an integral or a crucial moment for the President to deliver. You know, I think that was part of the genesis of the 500 doses of

the Pfizer vaccine that were announced yesterday, he knew that they could leverage that into the one billion that the entire G7 is pledging right

now.

But he knows that they need to show -- the U.S. needs to show tangible, concrete deliverables not just at this summit, but in the weeks and months

ahead, for two reasons, one to try and reassure the allies but two, to try and show people domestically back home that what you saw the last four

years is not the way things work best.

GORANI: Right.

MATTINGLY: And we're going to demonstrate why the way it worked, the six or seven decades prior to that was the most effective way.

GORANI: Domestically, Joe Biden's approval rating is very high. It's above 60 percent. Yes.

MATTINGLY: No.

GORANI: So that --

MATTINGLY: And I think this is -- what's interesting when you talk to White House officials is the way that they see everything is kind of part of an

entire quilt, right? They don't see these things as disparate elements of the presidency. They see this all coming together. And the idea from the

President has been very clear from the start. And I think this is why his approval ratings are where they are, get people vaccinated, try and bring

the U.S. economy back.

Those things, up to this point, have been successful. And I think that he believes that you can transfer that to some degree globally. Right now, we

want to get the rest of the world vaccinated. We, as -- this being the president here and speaking, not me.

GORANI: Yes. Yes.

MATTINGLY: The U.S. wants to be leaders in getting the rest of the world vaccinated. Hopefully, that will help the world look at Western alliances

look at the U.S. in a different manner than perhaps they did over the course of the last four years, hoping that when you put things into place

that work and the -- from the domestic side, hoping showing the government can work, showing that alliances in the -- on the world stage can work,

that people will respond to that and perhaps be able to push back to some degree on what we've seen rise over the course of the last five or six

years.

GORANI: In terms of foreign policy, Joe Biden wants to make it clear he is not Donald Trump, we've turned the page.

MATTINGLY: Right.

GORANI: But what more is he saying about how he is going to approach relationships with allies and other big foreign policy challenges? There's

Russia to think about, there's China to think about. There -- and we start with the flare up between Hamas and Israel occasionally and Middle East

flare up that the U.S. is asked to get involved in, what's his -- what's the doctrine, the Biden doctrine?

MATTINGLY: Look, it's a great question. I think it's one we've all been trying to figure out. And it's early, right? It's four months in and you

hear a lot from the top -- Biden's top national security officials that they want to do kind of a foreign policy that starts at home, where, you

know, Americans understand why these alliances are important. I think that's important kind of what we're just talking about with your last

question.

But I do think when you talk to national security officials, and when you listen to the President, the animating feature of this administration, both

domestically and in its international component, is China.

GORANI: Yes. Yes.

MATTINGLY: Is what can the U.S. do to strengthen its domestic side and strengthen alliances on the international side to be able to counter a

rising China? That -- it's by far the President believes the largest competitor. It's by far the President believes the number one challenge for

the U.S. Yes, Russia matters. Obviously, the tail end of this trip and that meeting, that sit down with Vladimir Putin, is incredibly important and

absolutely ties in with the, you know, democracy's pushing back on autocracies theme that you've heard from him.

But China is the animating feature of this administration. And I think if they had their way, that would be their focus on just about everything they

do going forward, both at home and here. I think you're going to see that in the days ahead, both in the G7, but also in the NATO Summit.

GORANI: Yes. We love analyzing body language.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

GORANI: We -- Macron and Biden were very chummy, Johnson and Biden perhaps a little bit less friendly than some would have expected in terms of body

language. And now everybody is going to be looking at every tiny little gesture that Biden and Putin make toward each other.

MATTINGLY: This is what we get at these summits, right?

GORANI: Right.

MATTINGLY: We're not in the room.

GORANI: No.

MATTINGLY: We maybe get a spray. Some of us aren't nearby. We aren't going to be very close in Geneva. And so yes, we're going to watch how the two

leaders interact and hope that that can kind of inform where things stand.

GORANI: We'll be watching. Thanks very much, Phil Mattingly, as always for joining us. The meeting site of Carbis Bay is a tiny speck on the map. So

of course it's not every day that some of the world's most powerful leaders come to town. We wanted to give you an idea of what it was like when their

motorcades drove through. Here you see President Joe Biden's convoy. The Streets, of course, have extremely tight security. Police forces from

across the U.K. are pitching in, they're manning checkpoints and they're patrolling security fences. This is not what Falmouth normally looks like.

Still to some tonight, Euro 2020 kicks off in Rome, with Italy taking on Turkey. We'll be live in the Italian capital before kickoff. Even I care

about this one. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:33]

GORANI: All right. We're going to detour by football and Europe. We're just a short time away from the opening match of the Euro 2020 tournament. You

can tell by the name that it's also been delayed. Turkey and Italy are squaring off in Rome for the first match. This year's tournament is being

held across UEFA's member nations in 11 cities from Glasgow all the way to Baku. Barbie Nadeau is in Rome with more on how this first match is

organized. How people -- will people be in the stadium? How will it work? BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's electric here, I have to say. We've

seen fans or 60,000 fans in the stadium behind me. They're all in there now. They had to have a COVID test. Prove that they had a negative COVID

test, prove that they've vaccinated and prove that they've gone through COVID and survived it essentially.

And inside, they're seated one seat, every -- and every three seats are empty. We can hear the national anthem being sung right now behind me.

Before that, we could hear, you know, the excitement of the crowds. The Italians going around with their Italian flags, the Turkish fans that are

here, they're about 2,500 who are here that were supposed to have quarantined before they went into the stadium.

It's almost as if there was no pandemic except for the face masks and the seating and things like that. It's just a celebration in this country

that's gone through so much with the pandemic. And remember, this was the first epicenter outside of China when this began in March 2020. And

everything seems to be culminating right now in terms of the recovery of this country, hopefully of sports in general, this first international

sports event. Everybody in Rome is excited tonight.

GORANI: All right. We'll be following that story. Thanks very much, Barbie. In Japan, thousands of volunteers say they're quitting the Tokyo Olympic

Games this summer. Many are citing health and safety concerns and worries as the Coronavirus continues to spread nationwide. CNN's Selina Wang spoke

with some of them.

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thousands of Tokyo Olympic volunteers have quit and for the ones that have not, they have the added responsibility of

keeping themselves safe from COVID-19. Many of the volunteers I spoke to who have already quit or who are thinking about it said that their vision

of the Olympics has been shattered.

Their excitement turning into disillusionment as they have seen mounting problems, including cost overruns for these games, sexist comments from the

former Tokyo Olympic head, and now the country barreling ahead with these games despite surging COVID-19 cases.

[14:45:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I think it's belittling human rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: Jun Hatakeyama is one of some 10,000 Tokyo Olympic volunteers out of 80,000 that has quit amid pandemic fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUN HATAKEYAMA, OLYMPIC GAME VOLUNTEER: I just quit because for my health condition, and to show my opinion that I'm against for the Olympic Game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: When college student, Hatakeyama, signed up to be a volunteer, he was excited to witness the world's best athletes come together at this Olympic

Village. Instead, he's witnessed mounting problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HATAKEYAMA: The Olympic games is belittling human's lives, our lives and not normal. So it's emergency now. So I think why we can hold an Olympic

games in 2020 now?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: An army of enthusiastic volunteers has been key to the success of recent games, helping to operate venues, assisting spectators and athletes.

Tokyo organizers say fewer volunteers this year won't impact operations given no foreign spectators and downsizing of events.

But volunteer Nima Esnaashari, a language teacher who lives here in Hugo prefecture says protection hasn't been nearly enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: What COVID protection have you been given as a volunteer?

NIMA ESNAASHARI, VOLUNTEER: We are going to get two masks and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

KANG: So that's it?

ESNAASHAR: That's it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: Volunteers are asked to take public transportation between their homes and Olympic venues. And for those who live outside of Tokyo, they

have to find their own lodging. Esnaashari hasn't quit yet, but says he's thinking about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESNAASHARI: I could be bringing back COVID to my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: Organizers say the Olympics can be held in a safe bubble with the majority of the Olympic Village vaccinated. But many public health experts

say that's impossible, especially if there are tens of thousands of largely unvaccinated and untested volunteers at Olympic venues across Tokyo and

Japan. And less than four percent of Japan's population fully vaccinated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA HOLTHUS, VOLUNTEER: We are not being given neither testing nor a vaccine. So -- and we have to go in and out of the bubble at all times.

There's a significant potential of this becoming a super spreader event.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: Normally a symbol of national pride and excitement in the host country, many volunteers this year instead are scared largely left on their

own to protect themselves from COVID-19.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HATAKEYAMA: I think the meaning of Olympic Games was completely forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KANG: The head of the Tokyo Olympic Committee just announced on Friday that they'll vaccinate 18,000 Olympic workers, including staff, doping testers,

coaches, and some volunteers if they come into close contact with athletes. But it's unclear how many athletes this would involve. And at best, it

would only cover a small proportion. There are 70,000 Tokyo Olympic volunteers. But not all of the volunteers I spoke to said they're worried

about their health. Some said they're confident in the COVID-19 protocols in place, and that they are still excited to be a part of a global

celebration. Back to you.

GORANI: All right, Selina Wang. Thanks very much. Still to come tonight, we recap a packed first today at the G7 reviewing all the key pledges, and

we'll take a closer look at the royal charm offensive as the leaders, as we speak, are currently enjoying a lavish dinner at the Eden Project of

biosphere in Cornwall. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:12]

GORANI: Turning back now to our top story, the G7 summit taking place in Cornwall, England. Right now members of the British royal family are

meeting the G7 leaders at a fancy reception at the Eden Project. But earlier, it was all business. The global economy and the Coronavirus

pandemic top the agenda on the first day of talks.

G7 leaders are committing to donate one billion doses of COVID vaccines to low-income nations. They're also expected to formally endorse a global

minimum corporate tax of at least 15 percent. That's according to the White House. Joining me now is Nicholas Thompson, the CEO of the Atlantic

magazine. He's also the author of "The Hawk and The Dove."

Welcome, Nicholas Thompson. Thanks for being with us. It was a fascinating, long read deep dive into Boris Johnson, the U.K. Prime Minister in the

Atlantic's latest issue. He's a showman, he's ridden populist waves all the way to 10 Downing Street. What does he want to get out of this G7 meeting,

do you think?

NICHOLAS THOMPSON, CEO, THE ATLANTIC: Well, what's happening right now is a complete resetting and a return to normal for the United States in Europe.

And I think that the focus on COVID climate in China is a great focus for the Atlantic Alliance. And I think Boris Johnson is getting a chance to be

at center stage, to have Joe Biden's first big trip and have everybody paying attention. So he gets to reset himself as a world leader. And the

West, post-Trump, finally gets to get together and make some strategic plans.

GORANI: Well, even though when Donald Trump was in office, he did his best to be very friendly toward Donald Trump, even though in the early days of

the pandemic, the death toll in the U.K. was absolutely shockingly high for a developed nation. Of course, a relatively successful vaccine rollout. And

now these types of events are casting the Prime Minister perhaps in a different light.

THOMPSON: Yes, no, absolutely. And it's been a very complex relationship between Prime Minister Johnson and both United States leaders. What I meant

about this summit at this particular moment is that Johnson is extraordinary at surfing whatever wave has come his way and trying to

handle America under Trump, trying to build a relationship with Trump. Now we have a completely different leader inviting Biden.

We saw on the Atlantic, the new Atlantic Charter, that was just put out, you know, the eight, nine principles of what's going to bring a whole new

Atlantic Alliance, you're seeing him very much playing along with Biden's interest and Biden's goals and the goals of a more liberal United States.

GORANI: Yes. Donald Trump said something about the G7 that -- and he may have had a point, that the G7 is antiquated, that it's obsolete. The G7

share of global GDP in the '70s was upwards of 80 percent. Today, it's 40 percent. Who's not at the table? China. India invited virtually but as a

guest. What can the G7 -- what's the role of the G7 in this day and age really?

THOMPSON: Well, you know, Trump wasn't wrong about that, right? If you were to start from scratch, right, and you were to say, let's build an alliance

that has the democratic interests of the world move together, you would not choose this grouping, you would choose a different grouping, and you would

set it up in a different way. But history sets you up with certain organizations. And you probably wouldn't have the same structure for the

United Nations either, right?

But here we are, and we have the G7. So what is the role of g7? Well, it's a way for a bunch of likeminded countries that have similar views,

particularly now that Biden is president of United States, to reach agreement on stuff that they agree about, and it's also a way for there to

be counterforce to China, right?

[14:55:02]

A way for the Western countries to figure out a set of technology policies. I was extremely interested how much of the Atlantic Charter is about tech.

There is an opportunity to build something of a counterweight to China. Now, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, you can be much debated.

But certainly, that's one thing that's happening now.

GORANI: Right. Of course, the G7 was until 2014. And for a few years, the G7+1, the G8, it included Russia. When Russia annexed Crimea, Russia was

kicked out of this group of nations. Joe Biden will be meeting Vladimir Putin in Geneva next week. And it was very interesting to witness the get-

togethers in the bilaterals of Donald Trump, who is a lot friendlier toward Vladimir Putin in the past. I wonder how things will be different. Will it

just be on the surface or will there be substance behind a new approach by the United States toward Russia?

THOMPSON: I'm actually very interested in this because I think you can argue that one of the interesting things about Biden is that he's continued

Trump's policy of toughness on China, but he's changing -- some of them obviously changing the personal relationships with Russia. I am extremely

interested in whether the United States can sort of walk a tightrope here.

Can you be very tough on issues where you need to be tough with Russia, right? Can you be very tough when it comes to cybersecurity, all the

hacking that's happening right now? Can you be very tough on Russia's expansion? But can you also work together with Russia on nuclear arms

control? Can you work with Russia on some issues, economic issues, where collaboration is extremely helpful?

So that, I would imagine, is Biden's goal. We'll see if he can pull that off. Putin is not a particularly easy person for American presidents to

deal with. And he's on his fifth.

GORANI: All right, Nicholas Thompson, thanks so much, the CEO of the Atlantic. Always a pleasure talking to you. Thanks for joining us.

THOMPSON: So great to be here. Thanks to you see again. Cheers.

GORANI: Well, as I was mentioning, there is a dinner going on as we speak now, with the G7 leaders and the British royal family. For some G7 leaders,

it is a first for instance, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga. For others like Angela Merkel of Germany, it will be her last G7.

We saw the Queen just a few weeks after burying her beloved husband, Prince Philip, make an appearance in Cornwall, as well as Prince Charles who gave

a speech just a few minutes ago, on the climate and the environment. And we'll keep following this story, of course, throughout the next few hours.

"Quest Means Business" is live in Croatia next and I'll see you in an hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END