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Connect the World

Trump: "They'll Stop Talking COVID After The Election; Washington Inks New Defense Agreement With New Delhi; U.S. Signs Defense Deal With New Delhi Amid, China Tensions; CNN Goes Inside Overwhelmed Intensive Care Unit In England; Big Tech "Bad Behavior" Hearing Underway In U.S. Senate; Melbourne, Australia Lifts Nearly Four-Month Lockdown. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 28, 2019 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six days now until the final voting next week on Election Day.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: COVID, you turn on the news COVID, COVID. You know when they are going to stop talking about it so

much, November 4th. You're right.

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He swaggered, he surrendered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's jealous of COVID's media coverage.

TRUMP: We're rounding that beautiful turn, and it's going to be very good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's showing up at these reckless rallies and not only is he spreading misinformation but he is also the virus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This country is now averaging nearly 70,000 new infections every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We cannot keep up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're struggling with the constant and unending rise in cases.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Politics, pandemic and tech all intersecting this hour. More than 70 million Americans have now cast

their vote to elect the next leader of the most powerful country in the world, a leader who will be facing a virus that has infected nearly half a

million Americans in the last week alone.

All the while just six days out from the election, the true leaders of the world, big tech, face the congress hot seat. Well, admit it all the markets

are tumbling. Look at DOW Jones right now. It's off by more than 800 points about 3 percent or just less than that. That's a really big drop.

Historically the stock market's best day of the year is October the 28th.

A year ago today the S&P 500 hit what was at the time a record high. October 28th, 2008, was the DOW's second best day ever again at the time.

Now the DOW well, is off in a big way, and there's a wider selloff going on. We are T-minus six days until the U.S. election, six days until the

last call for the ballot boxes, six days until America decides which path is wants to take with the Coronavirus pandemic now raging worse than ever.

Across the country nearly half a million Americans contracted the virus in just the past week alone. This is a number we shouldn't even be able to

comprehend, but yet that is the state of America this hour. 40 states saw the number of cases rise 10 percent or more compared to last week.

It's been a particularly bad month. More than half of the states reporting new daily case count records at least once in October. Many are in the

Midwest in the U.S. including Wisconsin which also happens to be a key state in the election the pressure on hospitals prompting this plea from

the Governor there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY EVERS, WISCONSIN GOVERNOR: There's no way to sugar coat it. We are facing an urgent crisis, and there is an imminent risk to you, your family

members, your friends, your neighbors and the people you care about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yet despite all of that, we are still hearing this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Now it's COVID. You turn on the news. COVID, COVID. You know when they are going to stop talking about it so much. November 4th. You're

right. November 4th! It's a whole crazy thing. All they want to talk about is COVID, but the good news on the 4th they will stop talking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, for many Americans their last and best hope for leadership on the pandemic is at the ballot box choosing who they think can or should

lead the country and save lives. Six days out nearly 70 million people have already cast their votes. That's nearly half of the amount of people who

voted in their entirety in 2016.

Nowhere is that early turnout more evident than in Texas. Texans have cast more than 8 million votes that are 91 percent of the total vote, yes, 91

percent, and it could surpass 2016 before early voting ends on Friday.

Let's bring in two political veterans to talk about all of this. Keith Boykin is a Democratic Strategist and Former Aide to Bill Clinton, and on

the other side we have Alice Stewart, she is a Republican Strategist and Former Communications Director for Ted Cruz. Alice, let me start with you.

Donald Trump largely dismissing COVID on the campaign trails however; his wife Melania had this to say.

[11:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, U.S. FIRST LADY: I have experienced the firsthand effects of COVID-19, not only as a patient but as a worried mother and wife. I know

there are many people who have lost loved ones or know people who have been forever impacted by the silent enemy. My family's thoughts and prayers are

with all of you through this difficult time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Arguably that is the sort of tone and message many people say they should be hearing from the president. Why is he not showing empathy?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think he is making sure that he stays on a message that he feels is more beneficial to his campaign and

trying to direct people's attention to some aspects of positivity with this with regard to the case numbers. The problem with that, Becky, is that it

doesn't match up with the numbers.

We had a member of the Coronavirus Task Force is out there actively saying that the numbers are spiking. Hospitalizations are spiking. Cases are

spiking, and I think from a political standpoint it's malpractice to stick your head in the sand and act as though it's anything different.

This president would be better served in my view - look, I support this president but with regard to this topic it's imperative that he continues

to remind the American people wear your masks, social distance, wash your hands, avoid large crowds and re-enforce - we're working on a vaccine, we

want it to be safe and effective and until that happens we need to use best practices whether we're at home or out in public.

ANDERSON: Keith, I do wonder should Biden win this election what is his plan with regard to COVID.

KEITH BOYKIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Joe Biden's plan is to - is to engage with contact tracing and testing which we haven't had before, to

have a national strategy, to have a mask mandate, to have some leadership instead of having the 50 different states fend for themselves, to in a

national leadership.

We haven't had any of those things it. We had as Alice has said a president who has put his head into the sand and I agree with Alice. It is political

malpractice because if he really had a chance to win the election his chances are diminishing every day but the best opportunity was when the

president himself was diagnosed with COVID and he had to be airlifted to the hospital.

At that the point he could have made a turnaround. He should have made a turnaround and expressed more empathy and he could have gotten a great deal

of sympathy from the American people for doing so but instead he's doubled down and we're seeing investors have lost confidence in him.

The White House has surrendered on the Coronavirus issue as Mark Meadows the Chief of Staff said the other day and even last night the president is

out there holding the super spreader rallies. Even just last night he had a rally in Omaha, Nebraska, after he exposed his supporters potentially to

Coronavirus. He then went on and left them in the cold and had no plan to get them back home so it's just a reflection of his incompetence and

insensitivity.

ANDERSON: Alice, the president does say that he wants a winner declared on Election Day. Let's just have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on November 3rd instead of counting ballots for two weeks which is

totally inappropriate, and I don't believe that that's by our laws.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: In reality, we could see what is being called a red mist, false start of sorts that favors Donald Trump before favoring Joe Biden as more

mail-in ballots are counted Democrats, after all, more likely to vote by mail. Do you believe Donald Trump and his campaign are scared of this? And

do you think that he could or is likely to declare victory should he have any chance of doing that too early?

STEWART: I think neither candidate can or will declare victory until it is without a doubt, and that's imperative. Look, you know how this works.

There are 50 different states. There are 50 different elections and we have to make sure that each state, the ballots are brought in correctly, handled

accurately and the integrity of our election needs to be without question in every single state.

And do I think we'll have a winner on election night? I really don't think so when we're talking the large numbers of early voting like you said, 80

million people of early voting, a lot of these states, certainly the key battleground states cannot start counting these ballots until Election Day

or just up to Election Day.

[11:10:00]

STEWART: So just the sheer volume of votes will make it very difficult, but - I think - I would like to think that shortly after Election Day we will

have - we'll have a clear winner.

ANDERSON: Yes. Keith, it has to be said that we - you know, in fact we've got - we've got the Supreme Court sort of working through a whole bunch of

cases about whether mail-in voting can be extended at present?

But ultimately, you know, fast forward to say November the 4th or later than that, we know that this is a president who is high highly litigious

and is likely to have his sort of army of lawyers to work through the mechanics of all of this. Does Joe Biden have a plan should he need one?

BOYKIN: Yes, he does, and he's going to need one. The president has already said that he's not certain he's going to respect the outcome of the

results. He hasn't committed to a peaceful of power. This is unprecedented tough talk. We've never heard this from an American President before.

In addition, the idea that we will know the - the outcome of the election on November 3rd is preposterous. In American history we've never known the

outcome of an election on election night. What happens is that the networks often make a projection based on the exit polling that they do in various

states, but that's not the actual result.

We don't really ever know the result until weeks afterwards and they are not required to be certified until well into the month after in December.

And the Electoral College doesn't meet until I think this late December, early January.

So Trump is basically trying to change the way that people think about the American election system so he can - he can change the game and alter the

rules. But that's not the way things work. And Joe Biden I think would be smart to have an army of lawyers of his own writing to or fight back

against - sort of effort to steal the election.

And I think that he's got that in places already. I've seen that on his website and I've talked to lawyers who have been working with him and they

are ready for ballot intimidation and outright voter fraud that might take place.

ANDERSON: To both of you, thank you. I want to move on because I do want to take a look at the DOW Jones Industrial Board today because we are seeing a

significant drop Donald Trump, of course, often touting the economy as his success or at least the stock markets that he believes are a reflection of

the economy which isn't necessarily true.

But anyway, let's have a look at what's going on there as we speak. The DOW Jones Industrial average of some nearly 800 points that Julia Chatterley is

in New York and I was just reminding viewers, that historically October the 28th is the best day of the year for markets. Put this slide into context

for us, if you will.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: Yes, and that's a great question, Becky, actually. We're around 7 percent of recent record highs so we've had

a few days of volatility but we're still not far away from the highest levels that we've seen all year.

So that context is important but I think it's a triple whammy that we're dealing exactly what you were just discussing the sheer uncertainty around

the election. The problem is it's combined with a rise a dramatic in COVID cases across Europe.

That's shaking those markets as well. We know that when we go back to March and April of this year it was the United States was a few weeks behind

Europe. So I think a lot of people lacking around now. And we're hearing it from - the sheer level of uncertainty about what the winter brings in terms

of Coronavirus and the relative lack of control.

I think is also factoring into what we're seeing here and people just paring back a little bit of risk here why not in the face of what we have

seen since March the rise in the stock markets. And, of course the question that people I think well perhaps still hoping might come from U.S. Congress

was effectively nullified forever.

Now in the last 24 hours at least, until we get to this side of the election or the other side of the election. So combine those three things

and you get market weakness and volatility and we've just got to expect that now for the coming days.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely Julia thank you for that. Julia Chatterley is in New York if you are keeping more than one eye on both markets. For you

still ahead, CNN goes inside one of England's hardest hit ICU departments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's when I see those very senior, experienced nurses, is when I see them crying is when I don't really have an answer, but it's

when they say, but when? When is it going to end? When are we going to get back to some degree of normality?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[11:15:00]

ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. election is just days away and as we know its impact goes far beyond what happens in America alone. Asia is a vastly

important sphere of influence and engagement for America particularly for an administration that is seeing ties with China deteriorate in an historic

way.

Right now the focus appears to be on South Asia where powerhouse U.S. lawmakers Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper have been on tour signing a new

Defense Agreement with New Delhi. That is something that will be cautiously watched in Beijing which has been engaged in its own tensions with India,

the worst border conflict countries have seen for decades. So exactly what does this deal entail, and why is the timing particularly significant?

Vedika Sud has more.

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A week before the U.S. Presidential Election, India and the United States deepen defense ties by inking a key

pact to share geospatial intelligence. The deal was signed during U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper's two-day

visit to New Delhi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ESPER, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: It is important to note that we achieved a significant milestone with the signing of the basic exchange and

cooperation agreement the last of the foundational defense agreements between our countries which enables greater geospatial information-sharing

between our armed forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: The agreement between the world's two largest democracies sends a strong message to the common concern, China and Pompeo didn't mince words

in calling China a growing - threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Our leaders and citizens see with increasing clarity that the CCP is no threat to democracy or the rule of

law, transparency - or to the foundation of a free and open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. I'm glad to say that the United States and India are taking

steps to broaden our cooperation to against all matter of threats that not just only fight against the Chinese Communist Economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: But Wang Wenbin the Spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the China threat claimed by Pompeo is nothing but a cliche of

his lies. India and China share hotly contested border. Tensions increased in June after bloody clash between the troops at the border had left dozens

of soldiers dead.

[11:20:00]

SUD: India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh did allure to China's intentions in the region but without naming its neighbor. He said

respecting the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the international seas and upholding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states

are essential.

In a further bid to counter China's military strength in South Asia the quad an informer strategic alliance of the U.S./India/Australia and Japan

will participate in naval exercises in the Indian Ocean next month. While Pompeo and Esper could tour to Asian countries this week, China is watching

closely. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi

ANDERSON: Well, our next guest thinks that the U.S./India deal is providing a bold but necessary message to Beijing. Navtej Sarna is the Former Indian

Ambassador to the United States and joins us now from New Delhi. Just explain the significance of this deal, if you will, and was it is inked

now?

NAVTEJ SARNA, FORMER INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: Thank you. I think, you know, we have to see this deal is one of the foundational agreements that

has been in the pipeline for giving actually teeth to the major defense partnership between the India and the United States which was announced in

2016 and there are three other foundational agreements which have been sign.

This is the fourth foundational agreement essentially allowing exchange of geospatial information and intelligence but what it does is it completes

the building of trust between the two defense establishments so that they can work together. There's greater interoperability.

There is greater trust in - in selling or sharing technologies and equipment, and, therefore, it - it completes what has been in the process

for some time. The significance, of course, of the timing is not lost on anybody, but it has been in the pipeline for about two to three years.

But coming as it does in the heightened tensions between India and China and between the U.S. and China, the commonality of approach in the - in the

Indo-Pacific region between the two countries, the sort of greater activation of the quote, it's one of a piece of all of these developments.

ANDERSON: Mike Pompeo was in Sri Lanka for bilateral talks yesterday where he said that the Chinese Communist Party was operating as a, and I quote

him here, a predator in Sri Lanka. Today he's in the Maldives where he's announcing the opening of a U.S. Embassy. Just describe what you believe

the state of America's influence is in the wider region at this point? And how does all of this play into these sorts of crumbling relations between

China and the U.S. at present?

SARNA: Well, the entire Indo-Pacific is seen as region of the future not only for political influence but for economic activity, for connectivity

for energy and that's where the focus is going to be. And the U.S. did roll out its Indo-Pacific vision about three years ago.

They have so far been you know taking a sort of back seat in several of the South Asian countries but now with China muscling in the entire region not

only in the South China Sea, but you mentioned Sri Lanka.

For instance in Sri Lanka that part of their belt and road initiative is launching projects which are not transparent, which are not sustainable and

which usually end up in the countries losing their control and sovereignty.

So that's what he meant, because the U.S. along with its partners including India want to present to the Indo-Pacific an alternative paradigm of

development and alternative view of project of financing of connectivity issues in a way which is more transparent which is according to

international law and regulations.

So this is part of that effort of providing countries with an alternative and not so that they simply don't have to go with what China is offering

because there is no other alternative. A number of countries have suffered on this account particularly Sri Lanka.

[11:25:00]

ANDERSON: We're of course less than a week out from this election so it is being good to have you. Trump's public displays of camaraderie with the

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been a defining feature of U.S./India relations of course over the last four years and we all remember

that Howdy Modi event in Texas, of course, last year.

Alright, we are moving on. Thank you, sir. Ahead on the show the Coronavirus case surge in Europe. We will take you live to the Czech

Republic to one of the hardest hit countries not just in the country but in the world.

Plus, we speak to a doctor in England who caught COVID-19. She suspects while treating patients with the virus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, just into CNN we're hearing reports from French media that the country is about to entry new lockdown. Our affiliates BFM-TV reports

it may last four weeks. We're waiting for the French President to address the nation. We'll get that for you as it comes.

The French Hospital Association says this is the only way to avoid completely overwhelming hospitals with COVID-19 patients. We'll continue to

monitor that news out of France and bring you all the very latest developments, of course.

Well, France just one country in Europe that's not getting any better. Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic all among the countries breaking their

own daily case records once again today, talking about the pandemic in terms of numbers and records can feel repetitive and even it can feel cold,

can't it?

But don't forget behind every number is a person and a team of health care workers battling this invisible enemy. I want to zone into the reality on

the ground. CNN's Scott McLean is in the Czech Republic in one of the hardest hit country, not just in Europe but anywhere.

The Czech daily cases, Scott been breaking record after record for weeks now. Where does the country stand at this point?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Becky, so on Monday the Czech Republic recorded a brand new record death toll, 136 deaths in a 24-hour

span in a country of only 10 million people and remember the deaths lag far behind case count. So things are going to get worse here before they get

better.

It seems that every couple of days the Czech government will bring in a series of new restrictions aimed at tamping down the virus hoping that

something will actually work. Already only essential stores and shops are allowed to stay open. There are limits on movement as well and, of course,

you have to wear a mask almost everywhere, even outdoors.

[11:30:00]

MCLEAN: The debate within the government right now is whether or not to better enforce the restrictions in place right now or to actually bring in

new ones? But the trouble is that the government has sort of a limited amount that it can actually tighten restrictions or even bring in new ones

because they have tightened up so much already.

Right now we're in the eastern part of the country. This - we're in Brno, so this part of the country has one of the highest infection rates.

Hospitals are really reaching their breaking point namely because more than 15,000 health care workers across the country are currently infected with

the Coronavirus.

The President of the Czech Medical Association, I spoke to him over the weekend, he says that so many Czechs simply do not understand the severity

of the situation that they are in right now. He specifically called out people over the weekend going to buy organic carrots, while doctors and

nurses were running on absolute fumes.

Now in the background you can see this is the main square here in Brno. This place usually hosts an outdoor fruit market. It's closed right now

because of a national holiday, but when it opens back up tomorrow it will be under brand new restrictions for social distancing. There's also now a

9:00 pm curfew in place.

And, Becky, one last thing, in the midst of all of this, the Czech Republic tomorrow is about to get a brand-new health minister. That's the third

health minister in just the last six weeks.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Scott. Scott is in the Czech Republic as he said. Hospitals across Europe are reaching their capacity following this new

surge of infections. I want to get you to the UK now where CNN's Nick Paton Walsh visited an overwhelmed ICU ward to see how the staff there are coping

with the strain?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In this one of Britain's hardest hit ICUs the worst of the pandemic isn't behind them,

it's just happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA GREGSON, MATRON IN CRITICAL CARE, ROYAL BLACKBURN HOSPITAL: Well, - it's been the worst weekend that we have, and that's the problem because

you have a death and, unfortunately, there's somebody that needs to go into that bed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: A third of the COVID patients in this ICU have died since Friday. There are 197 total in the hospital, 30 new this weekend. Outside the

Northern City of Blackburn last week had the worst rate of new infections in England.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. IAN STANLEY, CONSULTANT ANESTHETIST, ROYAL BLACKBURN HOSPITAL: It's extraordinary. It's just how frenetic, how busy this ICU ward is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sunday afternoon there was literally patient in, stabilized that is almost doing traffic control to make sure that they

weren't banging into each other when they came in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: The pandemic never really eased for summer here. They are exhausted by only two weeks since March without a COVID patient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY: And it's when I see those very senior experienced nurses, it's when I see them crying. When I don't really have an answer, but it's when

they say, yes, but when is it going to end? When are we going to back to some degree of normality?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: But they are also exhausted by a general public disobeying and angry at the rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGSON: We've given absolutely everything, and yet we're being called liars and we're being abused on the phone, because nurses withdrawing

treatments on patients and doing end of life on a Zoom call and having a wife or husband or adults, on the other side of that camera crying and

saying please, will you hold my dad's hands, please will you do that for us. And then the next telephone conversation matters somebody hear when

that these are down the form of them.

Unfortunately on several occasions, we've had to stop the Zoom calls because there's been numerous relatives in a room not social distancing -

and at least 45 in a room, so we had to stop it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Better treatments keep the patients conscious now and able to talk clearly of how dangerous the disease is. Retired carpenter Jack Ratcliffe

has no idea where he got it or why people insist on breaking the rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK RATCLIFFE, PATIENT: It's ridiculous. So I just don't understand why they do it. They have no idea for the consequences of it.

DR. BETHAN GAY, ROYAL BLACKBURN HOSPITAL: It really does wear you down when patients and work really unwell, dying and dying in a very specific way and

yet those people who know nothing about the virus saying that it's not real and that it doesn't exist.

Yes. Last weekend on my nights, what seen as I arrived here, a lady come to the ward and unfortunately passed away almost immediately, giving to

relatives a bag and a stick of a lady who has passed away in the bed in front of them. It's quite difficult. It's difficult for them and it's

difficult for us as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: While outside may seem to want to be less aware of the disease, inside they grow more aware of its victims suffering and its stock random

viciousness.

[11:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: It's the one thing that you've learned about this disease in the last seven or eight months?

GREGSON: You can't read it and I hate it from the - of my stomach hate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Blackburn, England.

ANDERSON: Well, joining us now from London is Dr. Hannah Warren-Miell. She's a Junior Doctor at a Teaching Hospital there, but is currently self-

isolating after contracting COVID-19. You heard Nick's report there. Does that sadly resonate with what you are seeing and hearing from your

colleagues in the industry?

DR. HANNAH WARREN-MIELL, JUNIOR DOCTOR: Yes, definitely. Unfortunately, I think particularly their sentiment that we in the health care professionals

are emotionally exhausted by this, because it's been sort of a state of high intense pressure for months and months without really much letup,

which for us is just getting to the point where almost it feels like it's becoming untenable now and hold on to stay unfortunately.

ANDERSON: Could you just describe how people are feeling. I mean, the word on tenure probably doesn't even describe the state of affairs, doesn't?

WARREN-MIELL: I think the best word would be exhausted, emotionally, mentally, physically and looking after people with COVID is really

draining, because at first we didn't know what we were facing and now we know a little bit more. But we still don't know a lot about it.

And as clinicians it's really hard for us to accept that we don't fully know how to look after the patients, that's what the best thing to do in

all these situations, because it's just so new and we didn't know how to deal with it? And even now all these month down the line - clinically we're

a bit better place but that exhaustion is just growing sort of daily.

ANDERSON: You are currently self-isolating after catching the virus yourself from working in a COVID ward. When you got that positive result,

did you feel quite frankly that it was inevitable?

WARREN-MIELL: Somewhat, although I did work on COVID ward since March, and so, I sort of wondered how I escaped it since March? And basically since

then, I've been thinking it was coming at some point just because of the fact that I've been working with these patients for so long. I kind of knew

it would come at some point. So when I saw to get my symptoms, I kind of feel oh, this is my time now, because I need to recover eventually I

suppose.

ANDERSON: And how many of your colleagues have been diagnosed with the virus out of interest?

WARREN-MIELL: I think probably quite a few, not as many as perhaps I would have thought necessarily, but quite a few, especially in the beginning in

March and April when the first wave hit. We had quite a lot of sickness from the hospital and lot of staff - with the symptoms. And then it sort of

eased off a bit and I guess it's climbing again now with the second wave, and sort of admiring what it's doing in population as well.

ANDERSON: Nick's report very much underlined the way that the staff feels not just about the work that they are doing, but with what they are having

to put up with often times from family members, for example. Do you feel safe at work? And I mean that in two ways really, safe as far as your own

health is concerned, and clearly, I say you're self-isolating the virus. But also have you felt abused at times at risk?

WARREN-MIELL: I would say probably I don't know any health care professionals who haven't at times felt the ways that the staff in that

report was saying. I think I'm really lucky personally that I've worked in very supportive trusts with extremely supportive colleagues and teams. And

then wider around me my friends and family are extremely supportive.

But, yes, I don't really know a single person that I worked with who hasn't experienced some animosity, abuse, difficult behavior at times. It's kind

of - it's almost part and parcel of the job, unfortunately.

ANDERSON: It so shouldn't be. Does that have an impact on your mental health at times?

WARREN-MIELL: I think so, but I think we are also quite doubt at sort of putting that away and actually the vast majority of people we look after

and the vast majority of families of our patients are extremely thankful and grateful and lovely.

[11:40:00]

WARREN-MIELL: And so, it's a small horrible majority, but it's overshadowed and eclipsed by all the positivity that we get, so I just focus on that.

ANDERSON: Fatigue, of course, has played a big factor in this second wave. No one can be more fatigue than those who are working on the front lines.

What's your message to those who are fed up even protesting these new restrictions that we're seeing not just of course in the UK and England in

the UK? But all over Europe and indeed around the world at present.

WARREN-MIELL: I would say I empathize extremely strong about fatigue, I'm so sick of all of us, all of my friends and family are as well. But I would

say please take it from me, take it from anyone who you'll listen to that the sooner we can get on top of it now, the better our lives will be in the

future.

So it's crap and it's exhausting and its rubbish, but if we just knuckle down now and do our bit then our long-term future looks a lot brighter than

if we ignore all the signs now. Yes, I hope people can --.

ANDERSON: Well, no, a good message. Bang on, and how are you, by the way?

WARREN-MIELL: Thanks. I'm fine; I had a few sort of bad symptoms earlier this week, which was mainly sort of ache and headache with the cough. And

it's starting to get faster day by day, so I think I'm just going to be more bored than anything isolating right now.

ANDERSON: Eager to get back to work?

WARREN-MIELL: I definitely will be. I'm already getting a bit stirred crazy and fast, so I think come next week I'll actually want to go back as crazy

as that might sound.

ANDERSON: One of the heroes of 2020, one of the hero's full stop. Anybody who works in the health industry is a hero as far as I'm concerned, but

this has been a particularly difficult year thank you for everything that you do and thank you for joining us today on the show. Thanks Hannah.

Coming up, as much of Europe battles what is the second fierce wave, Australia emerging on the other side. Melbourne, the epicenter of a second

outbreak is now in the clear. More on that coming up, and we take you to the big tech bad behavior hearing in Washington where social media CEOs are

under fire for censorship and for disinformation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

ANDERSON: Right. Let's go to the U.S. markets, shall we? The Dow Jones Industrial average down about two and three quarter percent of some 750

points if I were to tell you that investors are suggesting that concerns about surging COVID cases and the global economic recovery is a weighing on

their minds. So October 28th, today, historically is the best day for the U.S. market in the midst of a pandemic, not so much this year.

Right now leaders in big tech are facing questions about censorship and disinformation. We are less, lest you forgot, less than a week out from a

U.S. Presidential Election with at least one campaign regularly calling any unflattering media coverage fake news.

Republicans have accused Facebook and Twitter of a double standard, censoring the public's access to conservative viewpoints even from U.S.

President Donald Trump. Under threat here, a critical free speech law that protects internet companies. It's called Section 230.

I want to bring in Donie O'Sullivan who is reporting on this hearing for us from New York. What is this Section or Article 230, Donie? Just explain.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, REPORTER: Hey, Becky, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is really a very important law that really is fundamental to

how the internet operates today. Basically what it says is that, platforms like Facebook and Twitter and YouTube, they are not responsible for what

their users post on their platforms.

So if you or I post something on Facebook, Facebook is not responsible for that. What that means in practice, of course, is that these companies can

let people post freely on their platforms without having to hire a whole ton of moderators.

We know, of course, that Facebook and other companies have moderators, thousands of moderators, but, you know, if they were really responsible, if

they were really to be held liable for what is being posted on their platform, they have to have a ton more people and they would be less

profitable.

And also, of course, there's a possibility that, you know, that if this law was not in place for what Silicon Valley would argue is that, there would

almost be too much moderation and companies might get too careful and they might try and review posts before, you know, you or I would be able to post

or tweet them, so sort to a pre-review before they go live on the internet which, of course, would seriously undermine I guess how we communicate on

these platforms. Becky?

ANDERSON: Yes, that's interesting, Donie. This hearing kicked off over an hour ago. How is it unfolding out of interest?

O'SULLIVAN: Yes. So I mean this law, Section 230, is so fundamental to the internet and, you know, it's one of - it's one area that actually Donald

Trump and Joe Biden agree on. Both of them want to revoke Section 230. They want to get rid of it but for very, very different reasons.

Trump doesn't like the fact that these platforms sometimes label his tweets as misinformation; sometimes get them taken down entirely. He thinks these

platforms have too much control, that they are exercising too much judgment on speech.

Whereas Joe Biden on the other side wants to get rid of this law because he thinks platforms need to take more proactive steps in moderating their

platforms. It's not clear actually that even though both men want to get rid of this law, it's not clear that by doing so, you know, it would

achieve either of their objectives.

Now that being said this as you mentioned a very, very important topic. But realistically it's six days to the election here in the United States, and

what we've seen from this hearing so far has been pretty - just a partisan spectacle really.

Republicans are questioning Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO a lot about an unsubstantiated "New York Post" story about Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden

and his dealings in Ukraine which Twitter stopped temporarily allowing people to share on the platform.

[11:50:00]

O'SULLIVAN: So Republicans are going very hard on Dorsey about, you know why the company made that decision? And Democrats will see and we'll see

throughout the day they will be asking questions about why Facebook particularly I'm guessing does not do more to fact check President Trump.

President Trump right now is allowed to post whatever ads he wants on Facebook, spend millions of dollars behind them targeting American voters,

and they can be false. They won't be fact-checked. Becky.

ANDERSON: Donie let me just ask you one very, very brief question. These - this is a Senate Committee. Are these Senators qualified to cross-examine

these guys?

O'SULLIVAN: No, no is the basic answer. I mean, this so far today really has been a walk in the park for the tech executives. You know, some of the

questions that are being asked, the tech executives are easily able to sort of walk around and avoid or just sort of cite some one of their - one of

their rules on their platforms. And it sort of frankly confuses the Senators.

So, no, I mean, there are some good Senators that are very in touch with technology issues. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, for instance, but he's

not on this Committee. And so, yes, we have seen that sort of knowledge gap that the people who are supposed to - who have the opportunity to hold, you

know, some of the most powerful men in this case in the world to account.

Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, that they are really not qualified to ask the questions because, one, they either don't use the platforms like

Facebook and Twitter or, two, they just don't understand them.

ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. And very sad I would say. Thank you, sir. Coming up after years of disappearing, Carl, some good news about

Australia's Great Barrier Reef, yes, I've got some good news for you. We'll have more on what is a new massive discovery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: This is how we've been highlighting the dire COVID situation from Europe to the United States, but in Australia there's reason to celebrate.

In the State of Victoria, at least only two new cases reported in the past day after no new cases the two days prior. Selina Wang now reports life is

finally returning in hard-hit Melbourne along with warnings to stay vigilant.

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A collective sigh of relief across Australia's second largest city. After 16 long weeks Melbourne is

emerging out of lockdown. Just over two months ago there were days with over 700 cases, but now zero for the second day in a row numbers that will

be the envy of the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIA PREMIER: There are four Victorians in hospital and places I know none of us are saving in intensive care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: Victoria was hit hard by a brutal second wave of the virus entering a state of emergency. Stay at home was the order. No going out at night. All

non-essential businesses shuttered. Now one of the world's longest lockdowns is now over, but hygiene and social distancing remain the watch

words.

But zero positive tests doesn't mean that the virus is definitely gone. Masks will remain mandatory in public.

[11:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREWS: But it's not over. The virus is not gone. It is still there and if we don't prove as stubborn as it, then it will be back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: There could still be a reckoning to come as well for Victoria's leader Daniel Andrews. An inquiry found that if his system to quarantine

incoming international travelers hadn't failed nearly all of Victoria's over 20,000 cases might have been avoided. Some even protested his tough

lockdown, but today the majority is elated. They took on COVID-19 and won.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREWS: We just all have to keep playing our part, and that's why I'm so proud and deeply grateful to every Victorian who has. That's what got us

here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: Melbourne now joins a growing list of places around the world that are setting an example proving that targeted lockdowns plus testing and

contact tracing are effective. Selina Wang, CNN, Hong Kong.

ANDERSON: Not a bit of good news from Dan Andrews. A new reef taller than the Empire State Building has been found in the Great Barrier Reef.

Scientists were surprised to find it while mapping the sea floor. But in 120 years since the last major reef was last found. There are seven other

detached reefs in the same area, including one that's a major nesting site for turtles.

Amazing diving there in Australia, look at that. Well, there's an assize accent in my ear my Producer Jess telling me that it is time to go. So with

that, it is a good night from us here in Abu Dhabi. Say safe, stay well as ever, look after one another. We will see you same time tomorrow.

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END