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88 New Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed on Diamond Princess Ship; At Lease 1,800 Deaths, 73,000+ Infected Worldwide; 13 Americans on Evacuation Flights Sent to Nebraska Facility; Hospital Director in Wuhan Dies of Virus; Bloomberg Qualifies for Presidential Debate; Trump Accuses DNC of Conspiring Against Sanders; Jury to Begin Deliberations in Weinstein Sex Crimes Case. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 18, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: This hour, on the front lines. One of China's most senior doctors dies from the coronavirus.
Plus -- Bloomberg bashing as the U.S. billionaire spends his way to the candidate debate stage. Almost everyone else there turning against him.
And today, how the jury in the trial of Harvey Weinstein could put him behind bars for life.
Hello and welcome, you are with CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson.
The big picture today -- a series of big questions I'm afraid. What do we really know about the novel coronavirus and how to fight it? How is it
transmitted? What's the incubation time? How long does it last on surfaces? And how is the apparent mismanagement of it in some areas fueling its
spread.
All this as the numbers of people who got infected and those who died from the virus continues to rise every day. The death toll has gone up by nearly
100 to nearly 1,900 with the majority in mainland China. A number of confirmed cases now stands at more than 73,000. According to the Chinese
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the fatality rate is just over 2 percent.
Well the French health minister says there is a, quote, credible risk that the outbreak could turn into a pandemic. Olivier Veran told French radio
that that is the working assumption of authorities there. The World Health Organization remains cautious and does not classify it as a pandemic
because the spread outside mainland China has been limited.
Well case in point of a highly questionable response to the outbreak is the Diamond Princess cruise ship. That is docked and continues to be so, in
Yokohama in Japan. Today was meant to be the penultimate day of a 14-day quarantine period on the ship. And yet the number of people on board who
have contracted the virus has jumped again.
Correspondents following the story from all angles. Nick Watt is in Omaha, Nebraska, where 13 infected Americans evacuated from that ship are now
being treated. Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong looking at the wider story and a high-profile death from the virus in Wuhan. First though to Matt
Rivers who has the very latest from Tokyo on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and its unfortunate passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the news off of this ship, it just continues to be bad with the announcement from Japan's ministry of
health that an additional 88 people have been diagnosed as positive for the coronavirus.
That brings the total number of cases on board that ship to 544. That's well over 10 percent of the total amount of people on board that ship. And
the number of cases could continue to rise. This, of course, comes one day before the process of getting these people off the ship is set to begin.
Let's tell you the details surrounding that.
According to Japan's ministry of health, the way this process is going to work is that every single person on board that ship must be tested for the
coronavirus before they are allowed off. Of course, they must test negative. Anyone who tests positive will be put into local hospitals, as
has been the case throughout this process.
But here's the rub. The testing procedures, Japan says, would be finished up by today, on the 18th. But it takes a few days to get the results of
those tests back. So let's say you were a person who received a test today on the 18th and you're not going to know if you're negative even if you are
until the 20th, maybe the 21st. and Japan says you must remain on board until that process is over.
Here's another wrinkle. Let's say you're sharing a cabin with someone else. Let's say the person you're sharing the cabin with comes back positive for
coronavirus, but you come back negative. Doesn't matter. That person that you are rooming with, they'll have to go to a local hospital and you will
have to remain on that ship according to Japanese officials for an undisclosed amount of time still in quarantine. So this ordeal continues.
This comes as the news that other countries are following the lead of the United States in evacuating their citizens like we saw the U.S. do Sunday
into Monday morning here into Tokyo. We know the Australians, Italians and the Canadians plan on evacuating their citizens over the next couple of
days, Becky. This saga just continues.
[10:05:01]
Perhaps this is the beginning of the end with the beginning of this process of taking passengers off the ship. But you have to feel for these people,
especially considering if you are Canadian, Australian or Italian you're going to face further quarantine when you go home just like the Americans
were evacuated are doing at military bases in California and in Texas -- Becky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was Matt Rivers in Tokyo. I want to bring in Nick Watt who is in Nebraska. Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong. Nick, let's just start
with you. Explain why you are in Nebraska and what is going on there.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Matt said, more than 300 Americans who were on that ship were evacuated by planes that landed at air force
bases in California and Texas. 13 of those people, authorities decided, needed to come here to Nebraska because they either had tested positive for
the virus or they were in very close proximity to people who had tested positive.
Now the reason Omaha, Nebraska? This is one of the only decontamination units in the United States. So the staff here are trained, are prepared to
deal with infectious diseases, to deal with victims of bioterror attacks. So they know the drill. That is why these 13 who were deemed to be
particularly high risk were brought here. So they are all being kept in separate rooms.
We spoke to one of them last night on the phone. A guy called Carl Goodman who's 66. He's from California. He has the virus. His wife is also here.
She does not have the virus. So they are being kept apart and they are actually talking to each other via Facetime, even though they are in the
same hospital.
Carl says he's being treated by a doctor and two nurses who are wearing full hazmat suits. So that is why Omaha. 13 of them will be here for at
least the next two weeks. And who knows, they may be joined by other people who are also deemed to be high risk -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick's in Nebraska. Kristie, back at sort of ground zero, as it were. There has been another death of a doctor on the front lines of
fighting this virus as I understand it. Liu Zhiming was the director of a hospital in Wuhan. Tell us what you know about this doctor's death and how
it fits into this wider story.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, indeed. Wuhan is ground zero of the coronavirus outbreak and the virus has claimed a high-profile
victim with the death of this director and neurosurgeon. He was a director of a hospital in Wuhan. His name, Liu Zhiming. He died from the virus this
morning and his death underscores the tremendous danger that medical workers in China have been facing as many are overwhelmed and under
protected.
And China says it will designate all frontline doctors, nurses and medics who died while trying to fight this as martyrs. Now the epicenter of the
outbreak, of course, is Wuhan. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province. And that province is all but sealed off from the rest of the country.
Harsher lockdown measures are in place requiring millions of people to stay at home 24/7 with food, with daily necessities delivered to them. And in
terms of the scale here, it's breathtaking. Almost half of China's population, we're talking about 780 million people, are living under some
form of quarantine or heavy travel restrictions.
And, Becky, I also want to give you a quick update on more red flags about the other cruise ship, the Westerdam. This was supposed to be the lucky one
but not necessarily so. Background, this was the ship that was turned away from several ports in Asia over virus fears because it had docked at one
point here in Hong Kong.
It finally was allowed to dock in Cambodia late last week. And then soon after, a passenger on board tested positive for the virus in Malaysia.
That's raising a lot of serious questions. One big question, will all the other passengers and crew be tracked down and get tested properly? Back to
you -- Becky.
ANDERSON: All right, Kristie Lu Stout joining us there on the story.
Well joining me now is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci. He is also part of the U.S.
President's coronavirus task force. He says that there is a possibility that we are dealing with a global pandemic. Sir, thanks for joining us. The
W.H.O. not yet prepared to classify this as a pandemic because their top brass reckon it might incite panic as the public interprets it as the
worst-case scenario. Is this, though, a pandemic, a global pandemic at this point?
[10:10:00]
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: You know, it really depends on how strictly you
interpret the definition. Global pandemic would mean that you have a disease that's widely spread through multiple regions of the globe and in
which there is sustained transmission. And by sustained transmission, you mean one person to another to another to another in a cascading way.
The determination is that although there is human to human transmission outside of China, in multiple countries throughout the world, it isn't
pervasive. It is not the major form that's going on. So it really is right at the brink. I think there would be some people that would call it a
global pandemic, but by strict definition, it isn't there yet. But we very well may be heading in that direction.
ANDERSON: All right. Then that's important to point out. CNN spoke to Rebecca Frasure, an American who was on board the Diamond Princess in Japan
and tested positive for the virus. She is now being treated at a hospital in Japan. I just want our viewers to have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REBECCA FRASURE, AMERICAN WHO TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: Yes, so the reason I am still here is the last throat swabs that I had at the end of
last week still came back positive for the virus. So one can still have it while not experiencing any symptoms. And I think that's the big unknown
about this virus is how long is it going to last and what's eventually going to happen to a person who has it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And Rebecca, asking some really important questions there. And added to that, I know that you've pointed out that it is an infected person
who shows minimal symptoms, could still pass the virus to someone else. Just explain what we do know at the moment and what we are still yet to
establish, sir.
FAUCI: Well, we do know that there are several -- many people who are either minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic. Namely no symptoms at all.
The question is, how prevalent is the transmissibility from someone without symptoms? There are individual examples that look pretty clear that someone
who either has no symptoms or marginally detectible symptoms that are transmitting it. In general, those individuals are not the major drivers of
a pandemic.
But the fact is they can and likely do transmit to some extent. So the person that was just asymptomatic, you would have to assume that person if
they came into close contact with another person that they very likely might transmit the virus.
ANDERSON: Yes, all right. Look, not long ago, the U.S. Secretary of State called on China's government to be more forthcoming with its information on
the coronavirus. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We hope that the world will unite against what is this really challenging public health problem that faces
us. We hope that every country that has information, this includes China, will be completely open and transparent. It took us too long to get the
medical experts in the country. We wish that could have happened more quickly. But we are hopeful that the Chinese government will increase its
transparency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Do you share his criticism?
FAUCI: You know, I think in the beginning, they were a bit slow off the blocks. They were saying that the virus was transmitted predominantly from
animals to humans when actually there was very, very clear that it was human-to-human transmission was going on. I think most recently they've
been quite transparent.
They've been very draconian in what they've done to try and stop the transmission within China and outside of China with rather strict travel
restrictions out of major cities. The entire city of Wuhan, 11 million people, was essentially shut down. Now we have a W.H.O. sponsored group
that is there in China and hopefully will be getting firsthand information from them.
ANDERSON: OK, just very briefly. The coronavirus has a significantly higher fatality rate than the flu as we understand it. This is according to a new
report released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control -- 2.3 percent as opposed to 0.1 percent. When you stack that up against MERS, I think it's
relatively likely I think MERS was around 9 percent. But bottom line, sir, and very briefly, just how concerned should people be about this new
infection? Is it a serious threat?
FAUCI: No, it is a potentially serious threat.
[10:15:00]
But I think it would be unrealistic for us to just blow it off and say this is not going to be a problem. We still have the opportunity to do some
significant control of it, but clearly, it could evolve into a global pandemic. You don't want to frighten people. You don't want them to be
scared. But they've got to realize that we're dealing with an evolving situation that could go into a pandemic in the classic sense.
ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Coming up -- another candidate will join the Las Vegas Democratic presidential debate. We'll tell you who, why and how that candidate is
shaking up the race.
And for the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, his former national security adviser John Bolton talking publicly
about his tell-all book.
Plus -- a jury is getting ready to decide the future of Harvey Weinstein. Deliberations in the trial are about to begin. We're going to head to the
New York courthouse -- up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, those founding fathers they said to be president of the United States you need to be at least 35, a natural born U.S. citizen, and
to have lived there for 14 years. But they forgot one thing. Being a billionaire could also help.
And one billionaire in the race this year, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. He has now qualified for tomorrow night's debate in Las Vegas.
Now he's made the cut thanks to a new national poll which shows the man President Trump likes to call mini Mike in second place behind front-runner
Senator Bernie Sanders. That effectively means Bloomberg is now in a battle for second place with the former vice president Joe Biden, but with a much,
much bigger war chest as our Arlette Saenz reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Bloomberg shaking up the Democratic race, qualifying for tomorrow's debate in Nevada,
where he isn't even on the ballot. This coming after Bloomberg set his sights on a new target, aiming his attacks at Democratic frontrunner Bernie
Sanders instead of President Trump.
The former New York City mayor won't appear on a ballot until Super Tuesday, two weeks away, but has still launched an online ad blasting some
of Sanders's supporters for their aggressive tactics.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to
engage in a civil discourse.
SAENZ: The move launching a day-long war of words between the Sanders and Bloomberg campaigns.
SANDERS: Mr. Bloomberg, like anybody else, has a right to run for president.
[10:20:02]
He does not have a right to buy the presidency.
SAENZ: Bloomberg's campaign manager charging Sanders supporters with using similar strategies employed by President Trump, prompting the Vermont
senator's team to tweet this photo of Bloomberg and Trump golfing. Joe Biden says he's worried this kind of behavior won't help unify the country.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is Trump-like. Way over the line. And I think Bernie has to be -- he has to disavow this. Can
you imagine if my supporters did that, what you'd be expecting of me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Bernie --
BIDEN: I'm not saying Bernie won't do it. He hasn't done it yet.
SAENZ: Sanders striking back at a large rally in Tacoma, Washington, last night.
SANDERS: The Democratic establishment is getting nervous, and they're trying to figure out all kinds of ways, how do we stop Bernie and the
movement. But they are not going to succeed.
SAENZ: Biden hoping Nevada will help turn around a weak start to his primary season. That's something his supporters want, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the heck is going on with your campaign?
BIDEN: Well, that's a good question. He complimented me very highly, and then said what the hell is the matter with your campaign? That's a good
question. No, no, it's a legitimate question.
We're now getting into the thick of it. For example, Bill Clinton lost 12 primaries before he won one and became the nominee for president. I'm not
counting on waiting that long.
SAENZ: The former vice president isn't the only one looking ahead to Super Tuesday and beyond. Sanders and Pete Buttigieg both holding events outside
of Saturday's caucus states.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Super Tuesday is coming up, and I need your help. What I'm asking of you is to bottle up
whatever sense of hope propelled you into this room and take it to those you know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, our chief media correspondent Brian Stelter in the House from New York this hour. Where, of course, Bloomberg runs his empire.
Listen, voters will hear from Bloomberg for the first time as he makes that debate stage Wednesday. It will be his first debate since 2009. But
Sanders, Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg really having a pop at each other as we speak. And have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BLOOMBERG POLITICAL AD TEXT) Are you being harassed by a Bernie Bro or a Bernie Bot? "The Daily Dot."
Bernie's Angry Bros, "The New York Times."
Is Bernie Sanders' angry army really what Democrats want? "Chicago Tribune
SANDERS: Now, Mr. Bloomberg, like anybody else, has a right to run for President. He does not have a right to buy the presidency. Especially after
being mayor of New York and having a racist stop and frisk policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Brian, Bernie Sanders, is he feeling the burn of Mike Bloomberg's billions at this point?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I think there's no doubt that he's feeling it. He absolutely is. Mike Bloomberg is running so many
different kinds of ads, including the digital ad you just showed that calls out Bernie Sanders for having very aggressive, hostile supporters. The so-
called "Bernie bros" that you see all over social media. So Sanders was firing back at Bloomberg.
And we will see them for the first time in person on Wednesday night. Now that Bloomberg has qualified for Wednesday's debate, the campaign says he
will, in fact, be there in Nevada for this debate. And that's going to change this race in dramatic fashion.
Because we'll have this late entry into the Democratic primary after nine debates already. All of a sudden, there's a new debate with a new man near
the center of the stage here because Michael Bloomberg, according to the new Marist/PBS poll today, is in second place nationally. So he will be
front and center next to Sanders on stage.
ANDERSON: So is this now turning into a two-horse race?
STELTER: I wouldn't go that far but I'd say it's remarkable to look at the poll from December versus today. December, Bloomberg was at 4 percent. Now
after spending hundreds of millions in advertising, he's at 19 percent. So that's a 15 percent bounce. Comes out to about $20 million per point in
this poll in this individual poll. There will be another poll out from NBC later in the day.
But it's remarkable to see how far ahead of the field Sanders is. He's clearly the front-runner in this national poll. That said, the reason why
it's not a two-horse race is this is not a national election. It's a series of local statewide elections and the x-factor is that graphic on the
screen. That financial power of Michael Bloomberg outpacing the entire rest of the field combined is what has changed the dynamic of this race.
[10:25:04]
And it's what's causing every other candidate to figure out what to do. If they don't have that money because they'll never have that much money, what
can they do against Bloomberg?
ANDERSON: I was amazed to see that Tom Steyer spent as much as he had as well. Nearly 200 million.
STELTER: Well, and that's an interesting point.
ANDERSON: Go on.
STELTER: That means that there's this argument, OK, is Bloomberg buying the election? Well, by that view, Tom Steyer is also buying the election but
Steyer not gaining nearly as much ground. He's been trying longer. He's been spending almost $200 million you see on that graphic and he hasn't
made as many inroads as Bloomberg.
So Bloomberg has other things going for him. He has name recognition. He has a huge amount of campaign staff in many key states. And he has this
record from New York City as mayor to run on. He does have these other advantages on top of his money.
ANDERSON: In just the last couple of hours, the U.S. President, Donald Trump, accusing the Democratic National Committee, Brian, of working
overtime to take the presidential nomination away from Bernie Sanders. It's almost like he's supporting the candidate. What's the President's strategy
here. Help us unpick this.
STELTER: He may believe that in a general election against Bernie Sanders that he has the upper hand. He watches an enormous amount of Fox News. The
message on Fox every day, every night is Bernie is a socialist and communist who cannot be trusted. Who cannot be allowed to take America away
from Trump. That's the message day in day out from his preferred sources of information.
So I think the President looks at Bernie Sanders as a radical, as an extremist and perhaps someone he'd want to run against. It also plays into
the President's narrative of rigged elections. And this is disturbing and unfortunately, we're going to be seen this for months to come.
Just as he did in 2016, he's going to talk about elections being rigged. In this case, talking about the primaries being rigged. But he just tries to
sow doubt in America's institutions over and over again. Whether it's about the Democratic Party's primary process or about the election as a whole.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. Brian Stelter is in the house, thank you, sir.
STELTER: Thanks.
ANDERSON: Well, just hours from now, CNN kicks off a series of five town halls -- five town halls in Nevada. Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Biden
and Warren all making their case to voters ahead of the next critical contest. It all starts 8:00 p.m. Eastern. That's 1:00 in the morning London
time, 5:00 a.m. Wednesday if you are watching here in Abu Dhabi.
Well, FORMER U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says he is hoping his upcoming book on the Trump administration will not be suppressed.
Offering his first public comments about the book, Bolton said he wants to see his account of his conversations with President Donald Trump released.
The White House is reviewing the manuscript after suggesting it may include classified information protected by executive privilege. The book is said
to be very critical of President Trump's dealings with Ukraine.
Well, the spotlight is on one courthouse in New York today where a jury made up of Harvey Weinstein's peers will soon decide his fate. We will head
there up next.
Plus -- the Boy Scouts of America files for bankruptcy amid thousands of sex abuse claims. What's next for the victims of the century old
institution? Our report coming up.
[10:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: When you hear the words me-too, you think of this man, Harvey Weinstein. The sexual abuse accusations against him triggered a global
movement. Well, it's an important day in the criminal trial against him. Seven men and five women will be sent out of the courtroom at the New York
Supreme Court to deliberate his fate and maybe the future of the me-too movement as well.
The disgraced movie producer has been accused of rape and sexual assault with a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is found guilty. Well, Jean
Casarez has been following every development of this trial. She is outside the courthouse in New York. And, Jean, really this jury, you would argue,
carrying the weight of history as it were on its back. Just explaining the context for this. It was the driver for this "me-too" movement which has,
as I suggested, become a global phenomenon.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a very difficult case. And this is a very important case. And the jury is instructed -- and they are
being instructed possibly right now on the law -- can only look at the evidence in this case with the two main accusers to find Harvey Weinstein
guilty or not guilty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ: Defendant and disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has sat virtually in silence for four weeks as jury selection, followed by 28
prosecution witnesses and seven witnesses for the defense testified before a diverse jury of seven men and five women.
The looming issue in this trial, did Weinstein commit rape and sexual assault, or were the encounters consensual? But at the heart of the
prosecution's case are six female accusers of the former Hollywood giant who took the stand one by one to point the finger at Weinstein.
Prosecutors are using testimony from three accusers to try to show Weinstein's pattern of conduct. They hoped testimony by actress Annabella
Sciorra will help them gain a conviction of predatory sexual assault.
But Weinstein's indictment stems from the allegations of just two women, Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann. The statute of limitations has already run
out on the other women's allegations.
Haley testified while Harvey was mentoring her during her work as a production assistant on one of his shows, she was asked to go to his New
York City apartment in summer of 2006. After arriving she testified, Weinstein lunged, trying to kiss her. I walked backward because he was
pushing me with his body until I got to the bed and I fell backward onto the bed and I tried to get up and he pushed me down.
Next, she described a vicious sexual assault. I just checked out and decided to endure it, that it was the safest thing to do at that point.
The defense argued that Haley willingly maintained contact with Weinstein, including accepting the gift of a free trip to Los Angeles and Haley
testified she did have sex with the movie mogul about two weeks after the alleged assault.
You are not claiming Mr. Weinstein forced you to have sex at the Tribeca Grand, are you? No. Haley, however, testified for the prosecution that her
sexual relationship with Weinstein was not consensual.
Jessica Mann has a similar story telling the court she had a relationship with her mentor Weinstein but that she, too, was assaulted by him in a New
York City hotel room.
Were you able to get out of the room? No. What did you do next? I gave up at that point and I undressed and he stood over me until I was completely
naked then he told me to lay on the bed. Mann then testified Weinstein violently raped her.
The defense brought before the jury dozens of emails that could imply a consensual relationship and bond between the two. Mann's testimony was
insistent, saying, I know the history of my relationship with him. I know it is complicated and different.
[10:35:04]
But it does not change the fact that he raped me.
Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all five counts, including rape and predatory sexual assault. Now the case is in the hands of the jury.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Jean, I want to play some sound from Donna Rotunno who is Weinstein's defense attorney. This is what she told "The New York Times."
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONNA ROTUNNO, WEINSTEIN'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Women cannot be equal if women don't start taking on equal risk. Women want men to take on all the risk.
They want to then put themselves in whatever situation they're in and then walk out and say, oh, my god, I had no idea that was going to happen to me.
You can't have it both ways.
And when you are put in circumstances that you think are questionable or negative or you don't want to be in or you think this is the only way I'm
going to get the job. We know that that's ridiculous. We know that if women stand up and say, I'm not going to take this, I'm not going to do this, you
have other options.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Jean is that what Weinstein's defense has been arguing in court, too?
CASAREZ: Well, that is one point. It's not the major point. The major point is that they were consensual relationships. Really focusing in on those
details. But in the closing argument, because that's what that is right there, talking about that women have choices. The choices of where they go.
The choices of what they do. And that was what she really emphasized.
And you know, there's one accuser in this case. And she actually was one of the prior witnesses. And she was a young woman that Weinstein started to
make moves on and she said, no, and he apologized. He said I'm so sorry. I won't do that, gain and then all the scripts are ready.
She was going to be signed to his Miramax company for three motion pictures. And he said look, you got to do this with me because this is how
you're going to make it in Hollywood. And she thought it was a joke and laughed at him and he got so angry and she ran out of his apartment.
So this is what Donna Rotunno is saying. That you can say no. You can say yes. But you have to be responsible for that choice.
Prosecution saying this is an abusive rapist. This is someone who tricked these women by promising them the world and mentoring them to just a degree
and that they had to consent. They had to allow him to do what he did because he was the one that was going to fulfill their hopes and dreams in
Hollywood.
ANDERSON: Sure. So we know that a maximum sentence of life in prison could be due if he is found guilty. What happens if he's found not guilty at this
point?
CASAREZ: Well, that's a very good question. Because if he's found not guilty, then that's it for New York. But there are Los Angeles criminal
charges. So I'm very interested in seeing if whether they will -- he will be approached at the conclusion of the not guilty verdict to be arrested,
taken into custody for Los Angeles.
But don't forget, a hung jury. I've got to tell you about one of the jurors. It's juror number 11. She is a writer. She is currently writing a
novel that is to be published in July. And the premise of the book is predatory older men in relationships and younger women.
Yes, she got on the jury. And the defense fought it with all of their might, but she answered some questions. Can you be fair? Yes. Have you done
research on predatory older men and younger women for this book? No. Have you followed the Weinstein case? No. So the judge has to believe she's
under oath in answering those questions so the judge allowed her. She is part of the deliberating jury.
ANDERSON: That does sound quite remarkable. Jean, thank you.
Still ahead -- one of the most beloved youth organizations in the United States files for bankruptcy amid thousands of allegations of sexual abuse.
What's next then for the Boy Scouts of America? That is coming up in the next hour of CONNECT THE WORLD.
[10:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, some soccer or football players had to take a break in Turkey. Have a look at this. A stray dog deciding to interrupt their game.
Even showed them how to play. Not much of a team player, though. He wasn't giving up the ball. Isn't that just about the best thing you've seen all
day?
RHIANNON JONES, CNN WORLD SPORT: It's certainly up there, Becky. I just wish we could see it again on "WORLD SPORT." it's all about the Champions
League today, Becky, with a blockbuster tie between Borussia Dortmund and PSG to look forward to.
ANDERSON: Big week. "WORLD SPORT" is up after the break. Stay with us, folks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:56:38]
JONES: -- Worthy winners, I'm sure you'll agree, Becky, especially since you're a Messi fan as I found out not so long ago.
ANDERSON: Thank you for that. Stick around, folks. We'll be connecting you to Michael Bloomberg's communications director as the billionaire qualifies
for tomorrow's election debate. His first in 11 years. That and plenty more after this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than 71,000 people have been infected around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- but we're on the plane. Pretty miserable wearing these masks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 14 of those evacuees do have coronavirus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The risk is high that the disease may spread further.
