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Coronavirus Outbreak; America's Choice 2020; Trump Visits India; Iran Elections; Harvey Weinstein Trial; Lebanon Unrest. Aired 11a-12:00p ET

Aired February 23, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The South Korean government is raising the alert level to its highest right now.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Italian authorities have confirmed the second death due to the coronavirus. Across that region, 10 towns have been

put on virtual lockdown. That means that people have been told not to gather in public places.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iran has now confirmed that it has had several deaths from people who contracted the

coronavirus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a chance to contain this outbreak if we use the window of opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, panic sets in: it is 5:00 pm in Italy, 7:30 in Tehran, it's 1:00 am in Seoul in South Korea. And

right now, worries for the coronavirus gripping all of those places.

Welcome back to the show. Let's get right back to the news for you.

Those fears over containing the virus are growing as cases spike and an expert says we could be on the brink of a pandemic. The virus has spread to

31 countries and regions, 2,000 cases have been confirmed outside Mainland China and there are multiple people infected in such geographically diverse

areas as Japan, the United States, Italy and Australia.

Looking at some of them in more detail, the president raised the alert level in South Korea. Iran has 43 confirmed cases, with eight people killed

by the virus. The number of people in Israel, instructed to self- quarantine, is more than 200.

The World Health Organization is worried about Africa and its preparedness to tackle a potential outbreak because of the close links with China and

frequent travel between the two.

We are going to hear from a WHO spokesman in a moment. Before we do that, let's bring in our reporters around the world. Barbie Nadeau is in Rome.

Ramin is in Tehran and Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem.

First, to Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, is raising the country's alert level to its highest now in response to the outbreak of coronavirus.

He says that right now the country is witnessing a watershed moment and the next few days will be critical to try to track down as many of the infected

people as possible. And he's urging people to avoid large gatherings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOON JAE-IN, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We have vividly witnessed how dangerous it is to have mass meetings in an enclosed indoor

place in terms of the spread of the contagious disease.

I urge everyone to restrain themselves from group events or activities not only in indoor places but also outdoor places, which could harm others, the

people of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: President Moon has defended a decision to try to stop religious gatherings for a religious movement here called Shincheonji. And we're

coming to you from in front of a building that holds many floors of offices and operations for this South Korean religious group.

The reason why it's being singled out is about half of all of the infections inside South Korea of coronavirus are involving members from

this religious group. And the epicenter is the southern city of Daegu, where services were being held for this religious organization.

I spoke with one of the members here, who said that it's not fair that his movement is coming under such criticism from within South Korean society.

He compared it to a 19th century witch hunt. The fact is, the disease is spreading rapidly in South Korea and even has reached personnel within the

South Korean military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Ivan reporting for you from South Korea.

Barbie, let me bring you in. The big concern now, it's coming from the World Health Organization, is that time is running out to contain this

outbreak and they point to these clusters, not directly linked to travel, such as those in South Korea.

[11:05:00]

ANDERSON: In Italy where you are, two people have died, with 132 additional cases, as I understand it. And authorities admitting that they

are struggling to identify what they call patient zero.

What are the details where you are?

NADEAU: Well, right now, we have 135 confirmed cases but we're expecting an update here in about an hour's time. Everyone expects that number to go

up because they have been testing all day.

The concern is they don't know how it's spreading. They don't have the person who started the contagion. Until they figure out why it's spreading,

they aren't going to be able to stop it effectively without stopping everything and everyone coming in and out of those areas.

There's also a lot of collateral damage. There's a migrant rescue ship off the coast of Sicily, with 274 migrants on board now under quarantine. So we

have from north to south here, concerns arising.

The prime minister has cancelled all scholastic trips in and out of the country. So it's not just in these affected areas, there's wide, extensive

panic. People are worried if someone has been in the Milan area, coming back into Rome, we have had schools here saying those kids can't come back

to school.

So until they get a handle on this, they are really doing everything they can to try to contain it and just stop people from moving around, stop them

from gathering in public places.

The Venice Carnival was cancelled for Monday and Tuesday evening. That's one of the biggest events in that city. That's shows how drastic these

measures are, to try to get everyone to stop and stay put a little while until they can contain things.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

Oren, you are in Jerusalem.

What's the story there?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point, it's important to note there's only one confirmed case of coronavirus in the country. That's an

Israeli woman who was aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and came back, only to test positive once she returned. The other people on the

flight with her tested negative.

But Israel is taking an abundance of caution; all of them remain in quarantine. That stems from what's been revealed in the last 24 hours.

There was a South Korean tour group here which, upon return to South Korea, at first nine members tested positive for coronavirus and now in a briefing

with the health ministry, that number stands at 18.

So everywhere these tourists have been, anyone who came into close contact with them for more than 15 minutes, is asked to self-quarantine for the

next 14 days, remain at home, don't go into public places.

Already there are more than 230 people in Israel as part of that self- quarantine. There were also many sites in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority issued the same instruction. Anyone who came in close contact

with them while they were here from the 8th to the 16th should self- quarantine, remain at home, avoid public places.

And the restaurants the South Korean tour group visited in the West Bank will be temporarily closed as a measure of safety.

The prime minister had a briefing, a meeting about this essentially, an emergency meeting, he said that Israel has gone beyond any other country in

terms of the measures at stake to try to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

And he said Israel will continue to essentially overreact and overprepare. At this point, it's the best course of action. Israel has already

restricted foreign nationals who been in East Asian countries in the last two weeks from entering the country.

Last night we saw a plane arrive from South Korea with more than 200 people on it. Only about a dozen or so Israelis were let off. The plane was

refueled and sent back to South Korea with some 200 foreign nationals. So Israel is being very cautious here at this point.

ANDERSON: And this ahead of an election in just, what, seven or eight days' time.

LIEBERMANN: Eight days away. The central elections committee is also taking steps to make sure it's ready, creating 20 isolated polling stations

so everyone, including those in self-quarantine under suspicion of coronavirus, so they can vote as well. It all adds up to a fairly chaotic

scene here as Israel and the Palestinian Authority try to prepare for and prevent this.

ANDERSON: All right. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

A short break. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 11 minutes past 8:00 here in the UAE.

And to our top story this hour, the coronavirus, the WHO helping to lead the charge against the virus around the world on pretty much every front,

from research to educating people to vaccine development. They cover the works.

Let's bring in the man we want to hear from, World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic from Seoul.

In South Korea to Venice in Italy, Tehran and Jerusalem, just four places we have reported from in the past hour, where people are really worried

about virus clusters and how to contain this outbreak. There's a sense of panic.

What are your teams on the ground feeding back to you?

TARIK JASAREVIC, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Since we talked last, many things have happened. We are obviously worried by these clusters of

transmission of the virus, knowing some of them might have an epidemiological link to the epicenter in China or with the other persons.

Obviously, the epidemiological work has to be done to understand how these people are cross infected. We obviously understand that population is

worried in these countries, that authorities are trying to put in place measures to contain the spread.

But we know those measures also have a risk of disturbing the lives, of bringing more fear and panic. These things have to be balanced. We really

work with the countries, with the ministries of health, to make them ready to provide not only treatment and dignified treatment to people who are

sick but also to provide accurate information to the public.

ANDERSON: You understand this panic.

Is it justified, sir?

JASAREVIC: We understand that there's a fear among the population. It's a new virus that has not been circulating in those areas. But people should

also get the facts straight. We know now more about the virus since we talked last time; 80 percent of people infected will have mild or even no

symptoms. Only a small percent, 5 percent will go into the severely sick category of people.

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JASAREVIC: We also know it's less lethal than SARS, although it's more easily transmissible. So we also try to provide countries around the world,

especially those with weaker health systems, with the necessary supplies to quickly treat people with the symptoms they may have.

So it's understandable that people are worried but a at the same time, we need to provide facts and let health officials and health professionals

deal with this.

ANDERSON: Right.

Do these clusters not directly related to travel make it more or less likely that the WHO will be prepared to declare this a global pandemic,

sir?

JASAREVIC: We have declared this outbreak a public health emergency of a national concern. This is the category that we have under the regulations.

We do not use a scale that we have been using some decades ago. And the emergency has been declared.

Now it's important to understand how the virus got here.

Is it that asymptomatic people are infectious?

It's one of the possibilities.

Is it people with very mild symptoms who never went to see a doctor --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I just want it to pick up on one of the things you just said. You're saying that the reason you're not calling this a global pandemic

isn't because it isn't one; it's because you aren't using that term anymore.

(CROSSTALK)

JASAREVIC: This is correct. Members of the WHO agreed on international health regulations that they identify the category of public health

emergency as a national concern. And you will remember we discussed that last time we talked. This has been declared.

But no matter how you call this outbreak, it is a fact that we are having countries reporting cases. We do not necessarily know how these people got

infected in the first place. And it is the fact that people and governments are worried and trying to find the best way to fight it. And we should

provide sound advice based on what we know.

ANDERSON: That's important as we discuss my next point, which is countries with less developed health infrastructure get an outbreak. And I'm talking

about Iran, Lebanon.

How worried are you?

And what can you do to help in it these cases?

Iran is an 8 percent death rate at this point, which is 400 percent more than the average death rate here, of some 2 percent. That must be very

concerning.

JASAREVIC: From the beginning of the outbreak, we were saying our biggest worry is how countries with the weaker health system would be able to face

the situation and do what needs to be done.

And that basically has health systems that are equipped, trained and strong enough so they can quickly detect the case. They can quickly pick up on

someone who has a travel history to an unaffected area. Someone who has symptoms of respiratory illness. This person can be tested. That this

person can then receive adequate care.

And then the epidemiological work can take place to understand where is the link. Now we have been working around the clock the last month and a half

to help identify the gaps in all countries around the world and see how we can help them the best.

We ship laboratory items to a number of countries around the world who didn't have the capacity to test for the virus. We assembled the kits for

treatment of 100 cases. We shipped those to supplied to countries who need it.

But will it be enough?

That's a really good question, Becky.

ANDERSON: And that will be clear in the days and weeks to come. I must close with this. Some of your colleagues are describing an infodemic as a

massive amount of misinformation circles this crisis. The state official to the AFP news agency said there's a Russia linked campaign looking to spread

misinformation and alarm.

Can you confirm, are groups or states doing this purposefully, to spread panic, do you believe?

JASAREVIC: I don't really have proof to say disinformation is being spread willingly or not.

[11:20:00]

JASAREVIC: But we have been aware there's lots of misinformation going on, some of them may be spread willingly, maybe some unwillingly simply because

people are worried. And we are working with a number of companies involved in information technology to see how we can promote the accurate

information that comes from other health institutions.

So people who are worried and looking for information, let's say on Google and Facebook and other platforms, kept on top of the information that can

help them the most.

ANDERSON: Last question to you. Very briefly. What are your models telling you?

Where is this virus going next?

JASAREVIC: This is really the question we all have. And this can go either way. We were having a window of opportunity because of drastic measures

that China had put in place. The epicenter of the outbreak was buying time for other countries to prepare. But

now we are seeing this very worrying trend in other countries. So without speculating where we will be going from now, we want to focus on work with

countries.

ANDERSON: I think this is the third time we have spoken in three weeks. I really appreciate your time. It's incredibly important to our viewers that

they are bang up to date on exactly where the WHO is in all of this and what their thinking is. Thank you.

JASAREVIC: Thank you, Becky.

ANDERSON: Bernie Sanders says his big win in Saturday's Nevada caucuses shows he's on his way to building a national coalition that can defeat U.S.

president Trump. Bernie Sanders is now the clear undisputed front-runner in the Democratic presidential race with results still coming in. CNN predicts

that he has won at least 13 of Nevada's 36 delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are fighting for second place. With his Nevada victory, Bernie Sanders has pulled ahead in what is this all important

national delegate count. The current CNN estimate gives Sanders 34 delegates to Pete Buttigieg's 24. The other candidates all in single

digits. There is a long road ahead.

It will take about 1,200 delegates to win the nomination. Julian Zelizer is a history professor at Princeton University and CNN contributor. He joins

us from New York.

Critics say Bernie Sanders is too radical to be president, to which you say what?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: So far, Democratic voters don't agree with that. They are making an assessment on who is most electable.

That was the number one issue in Nevada. And they are not concluding it's Joe Biden. They are not concluding it' Pete Buttigieg at this point, they

are concluding it is Bernie Sanders.

So it is risky. He's to the left of the Democratic Party. But I think there's no inevitability to the idea that he's not the one who can defeat

President Trump.

ANDERSON: It's still a fairly crowded field of Democrats.

So at this point, do you believe some of the candidates should clear the way for Bernie Sanders?

Or is it too soon to talk about that?

ZELIZER: It's kind of a bet. It is too soon in that we haven't had Super Tuesday, the day when the biggest pool of delegates is up for grabs. But if

some of the non-Sanders moderates don't drop out, they will continue to split the vote, including on Super Tuesday.

So no one wants to go first. But if one of them is not out of this, I think they will continue to split the vote at the same time that Sanders keeps

amassing his delegates. That puts him in the lead. That's how the math will work out.

ANDERSON: This is how Andrew Yang put it is. He believes someone needs to follow his example. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW YANG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Someone needs to pull an Andrew Yang.

(LAUGHTER)

YANG: I have done the math. I'm not going to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: I think he pulled out because he knew he definitely wasn't going to be able to pull in the delegates that he needed. Now a contributor on

CNN, extremely useful for us as we pick apart what is going on. Can you explain to our international viewers and some will get this already.

But for those who don't, why it is that the Democratic machine, in what is supposed to be a democratic process, is doing so much to try to prevent a

Bernie Sanders win?

[11:25:00]

ZELIZER: I think if the machine includes Democratic officials, elected leaders and prominent voices in the party, they are very fearful that

Bernie Sanders is just too left within the Democratic Party to win a general election against President Trump or anyone else.

The argument is, the country, the United States is still center right, center left for sure. And that he might end up giving President Trump a

second term. And they have a process that they don't control. That's what's happening right now.

But they are desperately trying to figure out ways to rein in Bernie Sanders. The problem is Bernie Sanders has a very vibrant and excited

electoral base and it's growing. There's a difference between what the machine, the elites say and the voters say. And the voters don't agree with

that assessment.

We wait to see what happens in South Carolina and then we have Super Tuesday next week, March 3rd, when things become an awful lot clearer.

We have been talking about what the voters want opposed to what the Democratic Party machine wants.

Were it to become clear that the only contender to Bernie Sanders would be a Michael Bloomberg, is the machine prepared to back a billionaire, in the

event that is the only option for defeating Donald Trump?

ZELIZER: Some leaders might be willing to do that. But it's unclear what that means in terms of what they can do.

When each primary and caucus takes place, the machine doesn't have a lot of tools in their pocket. Politics has changed dramatically as a result of

small donations and the Internet and the breakdown of the party machine in the United States.

So they might say we love Bloomberg and put money for ads in favor of him but it's not clear they have the muscle to make a difference. And that

could energize Sanders' coalition even more.

To have a former Republican billionaire, launching ads with the support of the party against Sanders, I can't imagine anything more energizing than

that, other than the unhappiness with President Trump. So I don't think there's an easy path for the party machine at this point.

ANDERSON: I've got to take a short break but do you expect Bernie Sanders to button this up next Tuesday?

ZELIZER: After Super Tuesday, it's possible, yes. I could see that he has created a path that's unbeatable going into the election. And even if it's

a divided convention, he would still have that support. I think, a week after Super Tuesday, it's possible that Sanders is not just the front-

runner but he's on his way to becoming the nominee.

ANDERSON: We're talking about before the middle of March, Bernie Sanders possibly getting this thing buttoned up. Always a pleasure. Thank you, sir.

If it's Sunday, it's a working day in the Middle East. President Trump and the first lady will arrive in India on Monday. The prime minister has

planned to roll out the red carpet for the two-day visit.

He has staged a huge public welcome at a rally expecting at least 100,000 people. The two are expected to and are likely to discuss trade. It will be

a short visit with a packed schedule. CNN's senior international correspondent Sam Kiley takes a look at what is on the agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's really no doubt that Narendra Modi, the prime minister here in India, could be as Donald

Trump's Indian guru. Modi pioneered the populist politics to get the power base in general election when is he emerged dominant in the Indian

parliament.

Now in that context, there's no particular hopes that a free trade deal will be struck. There's some indications they might get something small on

the side in terms of arms exports of the United States to India.

A free trade deal would be very important to return to the sort of status the Indian economy enjoyed before; Trump indicated he expected to see that

thing resolved after the November elections in the United States.

They will start their tour in what would be described by cynics here as something as a bromance with a joint rally, which is in the capital of

Gujarat state.

[11:30:00]

KILEY: That is where Mr. Modi launched his political career as chief minister of the state. Of course, there was the scene there of sectarian

violence. Modi is coming under criticism from not just Muslims but secular Indians over recent legislation that has been described as anti-Muslim and

been challenged now at the Supreme Court -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Sam Kiley reporting for you.

Coming up, Iranians vote for a new parliament. That could favor a more conservative voice. We have all the details on that, after this.

And the U.S. and the Taliban agree to curb violence in Afghanistan. Hours into a deal, attacks by Taliban fighters could derail the push to end

America's longest war.

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ANDERSON: Be careful what you wish for. America wanting to make big changes in Iran for years. And now those changes it seems are happening,

just not the kind that Washington necessarily had in mind. And that's our big picture on Iran this hour.

Let me explain. On Friday Iranians voted to elect a new parliament. According to the polls, conservatives set to take home a landslide victory,

strengthening their political camp and putting the current establishment on ice, with U.S. sanctions battering the economy in a series of protests that

rocked the country late last year.

There's been a growing lack of confidence in the country's leadership, dominated by the more moderate and reformist voices.

[11:35:00]

ANDERSON: Let's bring in a good friend of the show, Ali Vaez, who is Crisis Group's Iran Project director and he joins me now from Washington,

D.C.

If Mike Pompeo wanted regime change, you could argue, he's got it. This has been a sweeping victory for conservatives.

How do you explain that?

ALI VAEZ, CRISIS GROUP'S IRAN PROJECT: You're right, Becky. The Trump administration, I think, has been the best ally that the Iranian hardliners

could have wished for. They have lost every single election since 2012, presidential, parliamentary and local elections.

This is the first time they have been able to win primarily because their rivals, the moderate forces, have been totally discredited by the Trump

administration. That made sure their gamble on the nuclear deal ended in absolute failure.

ANDERSON: They also delisted many of them. They were not able to stand many of them so people couldn't vote for them, those being moderates.

VAEZ: That's right. There's been massive disqualification by the guardian council. But the context allowed them to do that. Basically the Iranian

people had lost hope in the moderates' ability to bring about serious reforms or to resolve the issues with the outside world.

That allowed the conservatives an open hand to basically make sure that their exclusionary policies would deprive the voters from any serious

choice. Here, we're talking about different shades of gray, different shades of hardliners.

The next parliament is bound to be dominated not just by the hardliners but also by people who are coming from a Revolutionary Guard Corps background.

This is the beginning of militarization of the elected power centers.

Now with the parliament, the next speaker is probably the former mayor of Tehran, who was a former Revolutionary Guard Corps commander. And usually

parliamentary elections set the stage for the presidential elections.

They will have a presidential poll in June 2021. And if the next president of Iran is someone from a Revolutionary Guard background, the Trump

administration has ended up pushing Iran into becoming another (ph) Pakistan.

ANDERSON: Which is something that here is a big concern. Let's talk about the voters. The official turnout, according to the minister of interior is

42.5 percent. A look at voter turnout in Iran's parliamentary elections over the years reveals turnout relatively decent post the Islamic

Revolution with the highest turnout in 1996.

And then it really starts to fluctuate when we get to the 2000s. The supreme leader, after casting his ballot, urged Iranians to participate in

the election. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI KHAMENEI, IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER (through translator): Voting is a religious duty. Anyone who believes of the national interests of this

country will participate in the voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Before every election, he tells people that turning out the vote suggests their support for the entire system. By that logic, his support of

the entire system is underwater. And one has to assume that the U.S. administration and its policy of maximum pressure, those exerting that will

say we're in this for the long game.

We will continue support for this leadership in Iran is underwater. And eventually they will get, the U.S. administration, what they want, which is

a change, not in a regime but in the attitude of this regime and its malign behavior.

What do you think the ramifications of this are going to be?

You talk about the potential for demilitarization of this presidency going forward and its policy.

Just what does that mean for the rest of the world?

VAEZ: I think what's happening here is the Iranian people, there's a sense of political apathy inside the country, not just because of the dire

economic situation but because of the system that has proven to be incapable of reforming itself, regardless of who is in power.

You see the system is starting to lose its social capital. But the reality is, for the Islamic Republic, what matters the most is the depth of their

support, not necessarily the breadth of their support.

[11:40:00]

VAEZ: In practice, they can rule the country with 20-25 percent of diehard supporters, who are willing to give their lives for the Islamic Republic.

The concern is increasingly, we will move in a direction of a leadership that is increasingly militarized and is counting on basically a minority to

rule the country as a police state.

That's not good for the future of Iran. It's not good for the future of the region and not good for the future of Iran's relations with the West in

general and the United States in particular.

ANDERSON: I asked you what the global ramifications of this are, I appreciate you starting off by explaining you think the ramifications are

for domestically and for Iranian people in Iran will be. We will consider them first and then talk about the kind of wider story.

We are hearing some reports that the government has sensitive information on the spread of the coronavirus inside Iran, not reporting the accurate

figures so as to not to scare people from turning up to vote.

What are you hearing on the ground?

VAEZ: That's what I'm hearing as well. But there's loss of trust between the government of state and the society. As you remember, also, the

government never really disclosed the number of people who died in brutal crackdown of protests back in November 2019 and it also tried to cover up

the shootdown of the Ukrainian passenger jet in the aftermath of the attack on U.S. bases in Iraq.

So it's not the first time that the government is hiding the truth from the people. It's one of the reasons that we saw historically low turnouts,

because the people have lost trust in this government altogether.

ANDERSON: With that, we leave it there. Thank you very much. Thank you for joining us.

The other stories on the radar right now.

Crews looking for survivors after an earthquake hit the Turkey-Iran border, killing nine people on Sunday. Officials say it was a 5.7 magnitude quake,

three kids are among those killed and more than 3 dozen people were injured.

Turkey's president plans to meet with heads of state from Russia, Germany and France on March 5th, hoping to discuss the deteriorating situation in

Syria's Idlib province. A recent push by the Russian-backed Syrian regime forces has displaced nearly 1 million people.

Just hours into a seven-day deal to reduce violence in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters staged attacks in three provinces. Two members of the Afghan

security forces reportedly killed in one of those attacks. And a Taliban spokesman says it doesn't violate the new agreement with the U.S. because

the deal isn't a cease-fire.

Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD, Lebanon's uprising turning attention to the country's economic travails. First it was political change. Now people

demand economic change.

Plus jurors could be deadlocked on some sex crimes charges facing Harvey Weinstein. Why the Hollywood movie mogul is on trial.

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[11:45:00]

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ANDERSON: Uncertainty hangs over a high-profile sex crimes case in the U.S. Jurors in the Harvey Weinstein trial head back into the courtroom on

Monday after a brief recess. The case essentially launched the #MeToo movement, with women charging the powerful Hollywood producer with sex

crimes. As my colleague Polo Sandoval now reports, the jury might be unable to decide on Weinstein's fate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Before deliberations wrapped for the weekend, the trial of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein,

jurors sent a note suggesting they may be deadlocked on some of the charges in the indictment. The jury asking the judge that they could be hung on one

or two counts listed in the indictment, namely predatory sexual assault while reaching a unanimous decision on the rest.

But after speaking with the defense and prosecutors, the judge urged the jury to keep deliberating and said any verdict the jury returns on any

counts, be it guilty or not guilty, must be unanimous.

It was just one of 10 notes sent by jurors during their deliberations, including requesting multiple readbacks of testimony. Two of the requests

focus on the witness Annabella Sciorra's graphic testimony. Though Weinstein could be could not be charged with assaulting or raping her due

to the statute of limitations, prosecutors used her allegations to establish a pattern of predatory conduct.

But the indictment against Weinstein stems from the allegations of two other women, Miriam Haleyi and Jessica Mann. Hailey testified that while

Harvey was mentoring her when she was working as a production assistant, she was asked to go to his New York City apartment, where she was allegedly

assaulted in the summer of 2006.

The jury also asked to review Haleyi's charges in her testimony. Mann has a similar story, alleging that Weinstein assaulted her in a New York hotel

room. Through testimony, Weinstein's defense pointed out that both women had consensual sex with their client after the alleged attacks and

continued to have friendly contact with him for years.

Weinstein has also repeatedly denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex. Jurors head back to court Monday morning. If the jury deadlocks on some of

the counts, defense attorneys told the court on Friday they would take a partial verdict.

That means some counts could be declared a mistrial while verdicts on the others would be accepted. But the prosecution has indicated it will not

accept that result. A source on Weinstein's team told CNN their client was, quote, "cautiously optimistic but nervous."

Regardless of the outcome, Weinstein still faces rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. We are taking a short break. But do stay with us as we explain why Netherlands'

most challenging of times are also the country's most inspiring. That after this.

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[11:50:00]

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ANDERSON: Lebanon's uprising that kicked off last October, you could argue, has exacted some real change in the country. There is a new

government and a new prime minister.

But one thing remains the same: that is the economy. It is spiraling downward on the brink of collapse. Inflation rising, unemployment rampant

and the currency is losing value. Ben Wedeman reports all of this is so alarming that Lebanon's new government brought in the IMF and U.N.

representatives for talks over the weekend, hoping for some expert advice on how to avoid a total economic meltdown.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four months ago the heart of Beirut was crammed with protesters, demanding the fall of

the old political elite. Today the crowds have gone.

The state has done its best to wall itself off from the street. But occasional clashes between protesters and security forces have shown just

how fragile those walls are. Lebanon's smoldering winter discontent may be followed by a spring of rage.

KAMAL HAMDAN, ECONOMIST: The danger of jure (ph) --

WEDEMAN: Hunger.

HAMDAN: -- of hunger is still at its beginning.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Veteran economist Kamal Hamdan warns the already sputtering economy will soon fall into the abyss.

HAMDAN: That moment, I think, the Lebanese will be at peak in terms of hunger, in terms of maybe unrest, degradation of state security conditions,

massive migration.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Mark recently lost his job and now scrapes ,by selling sandwiches in Martyrs Square, the epicenter of Beirut's protests.

He and others have posted copies of their university diplomas on the barricades down the street from the prime minister's office. This uprising,

he says, is his last hope.

"If the revolution fails," Mark tells me, "all young people will emigrate, including me. We can't live here. We have potential but this country gives

us no opportunities."

The country, once lauded as the Switzerland of the Middle East, is on the verge of becoming a failed state. The Lebanese currency, the lira, has lost

more than 60 percent of its value against the dollar on the black market in a country that imports more than 80 percent of what it consumes.

WEDEMAN: According to the Lebanese Consumers Association, prices have skyrocketed by around 45 percent since the outbreak of mass protests last

October while in the same period, average monthly salaries have plummeted by 40 percent.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The new government promises to rapidly address the crisis by interest rates, restructuring the public sector and soliciting

help from foreign donors. But activist Rania Masri, like many others, have no faith the politicians can avert catastrophe.

RANIA MASRI, CITIZENS IN THE STATE PARTY: So long as they are in charge, the economic collapse will continue. The hunger will only escalate. And the

way that hunger will get presented in the streets may be violent. It may be destructive.

And all of that destruction that could erupt will be the responsibility of those political parties that refused to listen to us when we told them we

were going to face an economic bankruptcy.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The moment of reckoning is not a question of if but only when -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.

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ANDERSON: When you walk around the streets of Lebanon, they are awash with far more than political stresses. There's an easy charm to the wandering

visiting eye, an elegant, yet casual style to it all. Much of it comes, thanks to the city's creative forces. They have been painting police

barricades, singing for change and naturally making movies.

[11:55:00]

ANDERSON: Mounia Akl (ph) codirected the documentary, "The Lebanon I Dream Of." Have a look the at this.

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MOUNIA AKL, FILM DIRECTOR: We made the film, "The Lebanon I Dream Of" to remind people why we took it to the streets. It was a really powerful human

experience, just being able to talk to people about the Lebanon that they wish existed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

AKL: I think some powerful images are the images of the (INAUDIBLE) march, images of the elderly taking part in this march, these are people who

haven't had the privilege to say we're in pain for such a long time.

It's the first time that a revolution is mixing people who have never been in the same place before. We are just tired of being a victim of a

political class (ph) that exploits us. Like we're not allowed to have dreams because we're fighting a fight that's not ours."

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ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching, wherever you are in the world.

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