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Coronavirus 2,465 Killed, 78,000-Plus Cases; Virus Spread Raises Concerns Over Economic Impact; Democratic Presidential Battle Moves On; Fears Of Economic Collapse After Months Of Protests; U.S. Activists Raise Red Flags Over "Maternal Mortality Crisis"; Nine-Year-Old Boy Asks Buttigieg For Advice On Coming Out. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired February 23, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Right now, too little too late. The WHO warning it could become impossible to keep the coronavirus under

control. More on that coming up. Plus, this hour, Democratic voters feeling the burn as Bernie Sanders takes another step closer to taking on Donald

Trump. And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's been around to bleed internally for almost 10 hours and her heart stopped immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: African American women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women as maternal mortality rates keep

rising in the United States. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome. You are watching our expanded edition of CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East

broadcasting hub here in the UAE where it is 7:00 in the evening.

Our big story this hour, we are watching new colonies of the noble coronavirus crop up around the world, spreading the infection far and wide

in what is a nightmare scenario. Let's have a closer look at some of the hotspots that are driving up the numbers starting in East Asia. South Korea

is now on the highest level of alert over the virus. Five people have died there and the total number of infected has jumped more than 600, half of

which have been linked to a local religious group.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has raised a travel advisory for Japan to two, advising increased caution as new cases continue to pop up there.

In Europe, Italy has seen a spike to more than 100 cases as authorities struggled to find patient zero. It's led to a lockdown in the northern

region of Lombardy with school closures and public event cancellations.

And here in the Middle East, eight people have died in Iran and 40 are infected forcing Pakistan to close its borders with Iran. All of that as G-

20 finance ministers gather in Saudi Arabia with the coronavirus and its economic impact topping the agenda. We've got reporters around the world

covering all angles of this story for you. Blake Essig is in Tokyo, Barbie Nadeau is in Rome, Ramin Mostaghim is in Tehran and John Defterios is with

me here in Abu Dhabi. First, we had to Seoul and to Ivan Watson.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, 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, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): We have vividly witnessed how dangerous it is to have mass meetings in enclosed indoor

place in terms of the spread of a contagious disease. I urge everyone to restrain themselves from group events or activities not only in indoor

places, but also outdoor places which can harm others, the people of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: President Moon has defended a decision to try to stop religious gatherings for 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 in South Korea of coronavirus are involving members from this religious group, and the

epicenter is this 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, is the percent disease is spreading rapidly in South Korea, and it has even reached into

personnel within the South Korean military. Becky?

ANDERSON: Well, that's Ivan Watson reporting for you. Blake, I want to turn to you. We are hearing that a third passenger from the Diamond Princess

cruise ship has now died. What are the details as you understand them?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, very, very sad news coming out of Tokyo here today. A third passenger similar to the first

two in his 80s with preexisting conditions, but out of respect for the family, Japan's health ministry did not reveal the details of whether or

not this particular individual did test positive for the coronavirus, but did confirm that he did die of pneumonia.

[10:05:09]

And we have also just learned that an additional 57 cases of the coronavirus have come as a result of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. And

when you think about you talk about the total number, 691 cases now positive test as a result of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, it really

does call into question the effectiveness of the quarantine that Japan's health ministry put into effect on the ship.

And we've also just learned that 23 passengers who disembarked the ship earlier this week, did not follow the proper quarantine protocol. And

specifically, what I'm talking about here, is that when the ship was quarantine on February 5th, everybody received a test. But in order to get

off the ship, they had to take another test and test negative. These 23 passengers did not take that second test, and they took public

transportation to get back to their home.

The Japan's health minister has come out, apologized essentially saying that he has expressed deep remorse and that he's vowed that this will never

happen again. But Becky, too little too late. It's already happened. And as I said, these passengers got off the, ship took public transportation to

get home.

And we've also learned that there was a 60-year-old woman, a woman that actually did go through the proper quarantine protocol, after returning

home, she developed symptoms, and then she also tested positive for the coronavirus. This is the first passenger returned home, followed that 14-

day protocol and tested positive.

And again, these are two issues that really call into, you know, I guess bring into the idea of the concern that has been expressed from by

infectious disease specialist, Japanese residents, and countries all around the world questioning the effectiveness of the quarantine.

ANDERSON: That's a story in Tokyo in Japan. You've heard from Ivan Watson in Seoul in South Korea. Barbie, let me get to you. The big concern now,

and this coming from the World Health Organization, is the 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, in Iran -- and we'll get to that story in a moment --

and in Italy, where two people have died with 132 additional cases as I understand it. And authorities admitting they are struggling to identify

what they call patient zero. Explain if you will.

BARBIE NADEAU, ROME BUREAU CHIEF, THE DAILY BEAST : Well, patient zero is the person who started the infection. And you know, there's a little

hospital about south of Milan where the was a cluster of 39 cases that was found on Friday night and into Saturday morning. And they assume that

patient zero was a person that infected the first patient that the tested positive. But now they're not sure they know who that person is, which is

to say that the person who's infecting everyone, or that starting these clusters could still be traveling around the country.

The person they had initially pinpointed never tested positive for the virus. They thought maybe he was cured of it or he ran its course. And now

it's really a concern to determine just how this virus is spreading. And we're at over 130 cases right now. In two hours, we're going to get another

update and everybody says that numbers are likely going to go up.

And it's a big concern because if you don't know who's spreading it, and you don't know how it's moving around the country, you have no way to stop

it. And that is causing, I would say, nothing short of panic here. You know, they've even canceled celebrations for the Venice carnival. Now that

is a major, major event for that city. And Monday, Tuesday events which will culminate Tuesday evening have been canceled, Becky.

ANDERSON: It's fascinating, isn't it, to see just what is going on around the world. That is the story in Italy. I want to get you -- thank you,

Barbie -- to Iran now. Ramin, low voter turnout for Friday's elections have been blamed partly on the virus with eight dead and numbers other infected.

Serious concern not just in Iran, but around this region in the Middle East about Iran's capacity to contain this. What is the country doing to try and

curb the spread at this point?

RAMIN MOSTAGHIM, CORRESPONDENT, LOS ANGELES TIMES: Becky, I mean, we can say everything is sort of brought to a halt. In fact, matches can be held -

- if can be held without the spectators. Today (INAUDIBLE) two teams, two famous team could not play because the spectators didn't want to go there

and then they decided to stop the match.

[10:10:10]

So, any -- I mean, any matches, basketball, footballs, any things that mass of people should be spectators, should be in public are banned, and people

are encouraged not to a socialized, not to be in public if it is not necessarily. Dormitories of the university is closed down. I mean, many

cities, the universities, even seminary schools are closed down and people are encouraged -- students are encouraged to go back home and stay at home

until further notice one week or so, until the risk of the contraction comes to zero, almost zero.

So -- and at the same time in the hospitals, the staff, medical staff, the medical doctors who are in contact with the suspects are tested. I have the

information that in some hospital in Tehran, every 72 hours, the medical staff are tested positive or negative for coronavirus because those are in

risk. And in some cities, people are protesting to the hospitals why they take the patient, the suspect from other cities.

So this is sort of a bit panic situations in some provincial towns. And of course, the I mean the shrines the Shia shrine home, Shia shines in

(INAUDIBLE) and other cities, people are -- I mean the pilgrims are asked please do not make pilgrimage until further notice, Becky.

ANDERSON: This is frightening, worrying times. Ramin, thank you. We have been in Iran, in Japan, in South Korea, and in Italy for you where evidence

of clusters not necessarily directly linked to travel are really worrying global health authorities.

Now, I've got John Defterios with me. Finance ministers from the world's 20 leading economies have just wrapped up a meeting in Riyadh and coronavirus

very much on their mind. What's been their response to the global impact of this virus?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, number one, this group represents 80 percent of GDP. So obviously, this is the clear and present

danger. The press conferences started happening about 45 minutes ago, and we heard from the Saudi finance minister.

Now, they don't want to be jumping in and saying, look, we need to take multilateral action, but the message was they were ready to act. And they

were saying it was the highest priority right now as the biggest threat to the global economy. Let's listen to Mohammed Al-Jadaan and then I can

provide additional analysis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED AL-JADAAN (through translator): And one of the risks that were mentioned, was definitely indeed one that is relevant to what is left or

what is still continuing in terms of how the -- how commerce and institutes are set on a global level. And also risks related to policies and future

actions as well. And of course, that also included the spread of the coronavirus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEFTERIOS: So many messages coming out here, Becky. The IMF Managing Director brief the finance ministers. And when we had her here just a week

ago in Dubai, she was saying, look, it's too early to make a call. There's not a formal upgrade or downgrade on China, but she said it's likely going

to be 5.6 percent versus the original estimate of six percent. So that gives you an indication of the slowdown we're seeing in China already.

The Japanese finance minister I thought was the most interesting. He came out of the starting gate on Saturday and said, those who have the spare

capacity or surplus to stimulate the global economy should do so. I mean, I thought that was pretty blonde. And that goes to show you the close links

between China and Japan, at least economically. Germany would be a very good candidate for that because of the trade surplus and the dependency

they have on China.

And then Bruno Le Maire, who's the finance minister of France -- I thought this was also again very interesting because he said, we've learned a

lesson of the coronavirus because we're too dependent on China for the auto sector, pharmaceuticals, and the aerospace sector. We don't want to be so

dependent on China in the future, and that had a protectionist tone.

Now, the Saudi finance minister has a tough job here as the host saying we're ready to act multilaterally. What does that mean? I read from this

title coordination between the WHO, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, they shouldn't be on separate paths going forward. I didn't

get the indication outside of Asia. And those countries have already responded that we're going to see a G-7 or G-20 individual countries coming

in and putting money on the table but a multilateral response.

[10:15:02]

ANDERSON: And this meeting of course ahead of what is the G-20 meeting which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in November. A couple of really

interesting points that you make their. Japan not in a position to help, by the way, on a fiscal stimulus, but I'm in Germany very much --

DEFTERIOS: They, in fact, might go on recession.

ANDERSON: Yes. But you've made a really good point. I mean, were China's growth to debt as low as -- and I know that sounds amazing to some people

who live in these (INAUDIBLE) economies like those of Europe, for example - - you know, were to dip as low as 5.6 percent, what kind of drag would that have on the global economy, John? Is it clear?

DEFTERIOS: Yes, well, I think what was clear when I talked to the IMF Managing Director last week, she said we could see a slowdown of up to 0.2

percent. I think she was playing that very conservative. This is a $14 trillion economy. And I think the biggest fear is what impact is going to

have on the fastest-growing region in the world, which is Asia. That's why the alarm from Japan.

We've seen South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines outside of China, of course, would put $170 billion of stimulus into the economy already take

action. So, I think this is a message to the global markets that we're not watching this sitting on the sidelines, we're watching. And the G-20, if

there's a success, is that there's going to be multilateral action, if necessary.

ANDERSON: Thank you, John. John keeping an eye on G-20 which, as I say, is will come culminate this year with a big meeting in Riyadh, the finance

ministers, or at least delegations of those in invested and involved in finance in Riyadh this weekend.

So, does everything that we have just heard from a global team and up to the start of a global pandemic? Well, there's no one better to ask about

that, than the WHO itself. So, a little later on the show, I will bring on that spokesman for you to answer some of what are these very pressing

questions.

Well, still come, U.S. Democrat Bernie Sanders gains momentum with a big victory in Nevada. Those were the presidential caucuses. Can anybody stop

him is the question? That's coming up after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think all of you know we won the popular vote in Iowa, we won the New Hampshire primary, and

according to three networks and The A.P., we have now won the Nevada caucus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:20:15]

ANDERSON: Well, it's feeling unseasonably warm in Nevada, the Silver State, feeling the burn of the Saturday's caucuses. Bernie Sanders is now the

clear, undisputed frontrunner in the U.S. Democratic presidential race with results still coming in. CNN projects that Sanders 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 pulled ahead in the all-important national delegate count. The current CNN estimate gives Sanders 34

delegates, to Pete Buttigieg is 24. The other candidates are all in single digits. There is still a long way ahead. It'll take about 1,200 delegates

or just shy of to win the nomination.

Well, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on Bernie Sanders' victory in Nevada a short time ago. He was leaving for a trip to India. And Mr. Trump

called it a great win. The President said he does not care who wins the Democratic presidential nomination, as long as the process is not rigged.

While many of the Democratic candidates have turned their attention to next Saturday's primary in South Carolina, Bernie Sanders is already campaigning

in Texas. That is one of the Super Tuesday states as it's known. And that's Super Tuesday, March 30th. Athena Jones is joining us from Austin, Texas,

Kristen Holmes is at the White House. Stand by, Kristen, I'll come to you momentarily.

Athena, much talk about whether Bernie Sanders and his momentum at this stage is sort of a done deal with regard this winning the -- winning the

Democratic presidential candidate. Is he a done deal at this point?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky. Well, no. It certainly isn't a done deal. It is -- Bernie Sanders is the undisputed front runner,

of course, here having done so well in these -- in these first three states. But there's still as you mentioned a long way to go. We're talking

about each candidate, the biggest delegate takes so far still in just the double digits.

It's going to take for the Democratic nomination, they have to get 1991 delegates in order to secure the nomination. So there's still a long way to

go. But there is concern that Bernie Sanders is winning and he's winning big. And you know, one of the questions not just for Sanders, but for all

of these campaigns, is once they got out, and once the contest moved out of Iowa and New Hampshire, which were largely white states over 90 percent

white, how would these candidates do in much more diverse state.

States like Nevada where about -- Hispanics make up of about 30 percent of the population. States like South Carolina, which comes next, where blacks

make up a huge -- more than half of the Democratic primary electorate. And of course, a state like Texas which is incredibly diverse. Latinos and

blacks make up about half of the electorate here.

And so, the big question for these candidates is how can they expand their coalition? Can they reach beyond these mostly white voters in the first

couple of states? Well, Bernie Sanders is showing that he can. He wanted Nevada. He won the Latino vote. He improved his standing among black voters

in Nevada by about five points compared to 2016. And they're hoping to replicate that sort of thing right here in Texas.

You hear Bernie Sanders talk often about building a multiracial, multi- generational coalition of working people. People who feel that they've been left behind and overlooked by the political process. He wants to draw those

voters in. And one thing that's important about Texas is that early voting here already began. That's the same case for California as well. Two of the

biggest delegates takes on Super Tuesday.

And so early voting began this past week on Tuesday. It goes until this Friday. And so that's one of the reasons you've seen Bernie Sanders having

two events here in Texas yesterday in El Paso and San Antonio. He starts out today in Houston and ends up here in Austin, all in the hopes of

bringing out those supporters and getting them to go ahead and vote early, lock in that support.

And of course, organizing is a big part of this. We know that in Nevada, the campaign knocked on half a million doors, 300,000 of them just in

February. In California, they've already made more than a million voter contacts and they're doing that same sort of work here in Texas. Becky?

ANDERSON: This is democracy in action, of course. And we will consider this out why the concern from the Democratic machine in the U.S. about Bernie

Sanders. Kristen, meantime, Donald Trump congratulating Bernie Sanders. He also talked about Russia.

[10:25:00]

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky. So starting at the beginning, we heard President Trump come right to the microphones on his

way to India. And he stopped and said that Bernie Sanders had a big win in Nevada last night. He also dropped all of his name-callings that he usually

doesn't said that Sanders looked as though he might be the nominee as long as he didn't get "cheated out of it."

They're probably referring to the DNC. Of course, we know that many Democrats were upset. They thought that Sanders was cheated last time

around in 2016. And President Trump has really hopped on that bandwagon. But he got really interesting on the topic of Russia, and here's why.

We want to backtrack a little bit. We know that Sanders has said that his campaign was briefed about a month ago on Russian efforts to help his

campaign. Now on Friday, a White House official told us that President Trump was also briefed on this intelligence that the Russian government or

that the Kremlin was working for Bernie Sanders to help him in this election.

President Trump today pushing back on that saying, he'd never heard that. He didn't have that intelligence. Take a listen to what he did say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I read where Russia is helping Bernie Sanders. Nobody said it to me at all. Nobody briefed me

about that at all. The -- what they try and do is certain people like -- certain people that have information, no different than it's been, but I

have not been briefed on that at all.

Nobody told me about it. They leaked it. Adam Schiff and his group, they leaked it to the papers. And as usual, they will investigate Adam Schiff

for leaking that information. He should not be leaking information out of intelligence. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: OK, so it appears here that President Trump is actually mixing up two things. Remember that last week we learned that the top intelligence

official told lawmakers earlier this month that the Russians had a preference for President Trump when it came to interference in the 2020

election. It sounds as though that is the meeting President Trump was talking about when he talked about Adam Schiff.

But I do want to note that the administration is pushing back on that claim, saying that there's no evidence that Russia is supporting President

Trump come 2020.

ANDERSON: Thank you, ladies. Fascinating stuff as this election campaign continues. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from our Middle East

programming hub. This was the scene in Lebanon. Last year as people took to the streets, they got the prime minister to resign, but their problems are

far from over. Plus, hero or traitor? A court in the U.K. prepares to decide whether the government there should hand over Julian Assange to the

U.S. where he could face life behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:31:12]

ANDERSON: Lebanon's anti-government protests may have died down somewhat, but they are not over. A fresh wave of discontent ever the economy could

bring demonstrations back to life. Living standards, plummeting with inflation, unemployment, and a devaluing currency. Previous quick-fix

tactics to prop up this fragile economy are failing.

Now, that leaves the country's government with few options to avoid a complete economic collapse. Lebanon's president and newly installed prime

minister have been holding talks with representatives from the IMF and the United Nations to try for a solution to prevent financial ruin.

CNN Senior International Correspondent, Ben Wedeman, joining me now from Beirut with more. Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Especially the situation here really is grim. When you just look at the basic numbers

hundreds of companies have shut in the last few months. Hotel occupancy has dropped by 80 percent since last September. That in a country that's highly

dependent on tourism as a source of revenue.

And, even though, it's been a rather wet and cold winter as spring approaches for many Lebanese, the economic reality is going to start

hitting ever harder and harder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: Four months ago, the heart of Beirut was crammed with protesters. Demanding the fall of the old political elite. Today, the crowds are 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 smoldering winter of discontent may be followed by a spread of rage.

KAMAL HAMDAN, ECONOMIST, CONSULTATION AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE: The danger of (INAUDIBLE).

WEDEMAN: Hunger.

HAMDAN: Of hunger is still at its beginning.

WEDEMAN: Veteran economist Kamal Hamdan, warns the already sputtering economy will soon fall into the abyss.

HAMDAN: At that moment, I think Lebanese will be at the peak in term of hunger, in term of maybe unrest, degradation of security conditions, the

massive migration.

WEDEMAN: Mark Derido, 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 immigrate, including me. We can't live here, we have potential but this country gives

us no opportunities."

To country once lauded as the Switzerland of the Middle East is on the verge of becoming a failed state. The Lebanese currency the leader 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.

According to the Lebanese Consumer's 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.

A new government promises to rapidly address the crisis by reducing interest rates, restructuring the public sector, and soliciting help from

foreign donors.

[10:35:05]

WEDEMAN: But activists Rania Masri, like many others, has no faith that politicians can avert catastrophe.

RANIA MASRI, CITIZEN 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, that hunger will get presented in the streets may be violence, it may be destructive, and all of that destruction that could erupt will be

the responsibility of those political parties that refuse to listen to us when we told them we're going to face that economic bankruptcy.

WEDEMAN: The moment of reckoning is not a question of if, but only when.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: And at the moment, the government is focusing on whether to repay a $1.2 billion Eurobond that is due the ninth of March. If they pay,

they'll maintain credibility with their creditors. But there's pressure basically not to pay to default for the first time on Lebanon's debt in its

entire history, and rather use that money to pay for basic imports, which Lebanon is so desperately in need of. Becky?

ANDERSON: Well, this $1.2 billion in debt due in the next couple of weeks is only one of the debt payments that the country, of course, has to plan

for. Ben, have a listen to the foreign minister describing that decision process to me, a couple of weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NASSIF HITTI, FOREIGN MINISTER OF LEBANON: We are very much aware of the gravity of the situation as I explained and understand the fears and

concerns of many investors and other than investors.

We are not asking for open-ended time, we're saying, in a couple of days, we've been working for about seven, eight days, we're going to develop our

plan, and put it into implementation through a first -- a short period of time, and then, we'll be more than happy to listen to what suggestion, if

there are suggestions. Or if we don't succeed according to these people, but I firmly believe that you are going to succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yes. Ben, that was the new foreign minister, appealing for patience, and indeed, suggestions, it seems from a government that is,

quite frankly, run out of ideas.

Meantime, Lebanon's bondholders now bracing for potential defaults in March, which of course, will hurt the international investor. But on the

street, what chance more violence and watch how is this government can survive at this point?

WEDEMAN: Well, that's a very good question because this government came into power on the 21st of January, just one month ago. So far, they've

talked a lot about doing things to address this crisis, but they don't really have much in the way of tools to deal with it.

And therefore, for instance, there was an IMF delegation here for the last few days. They weren't coming here with a prescription. They were coming

here to give advice to the government. And they're talking about, for instance, sort of bringing the price of the lira posed to the dollar under

control.

But in terms of concrete plans, nothing has really been laid out. And the longer this country remains in this limbo of not knowing where it's going,

the danger rises that the protests will begin again, again, with much more ferocity as the economic conditions continue to deteriorate.

The real problem is that if things really deteriorate, it's not going to be sort of the lovely protests we've seen in Beirut in the last few months.

But what people are calling the revolution of the hungry. Becky.

ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman, out of Beirut in Lebanon for you this evening. Ben, appreciate it. Thanks.

Still ahead, a search for answers. More women die in childbirth in the United States and in several other less developed countries. And African

American women are particularly vulnerable. One family's story is after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:39]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. Well, American author Washington Irving, once said that a mother's love endures through all. A love that should never, in this

day and age, be taken away at childbirth.

Well, we know that around the world, way too many women die in childbirth. And in the United States, the number is surprisingly high, it's 700 women

per year as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, the number that continues to rise despite a falling global death rate.

Well, the CDC last year reported that African American women are three times as likely to die in pregnancy-related causes than white women. Now,

statistic that many grieving families want answers too.

CNN's Robyn Curnow, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR CORRESPONDENT: Little boys playing watched over by a mom they are too young to remember.

CHARLES JOHNSON, WIFE DIED AFTER GIVING BIRTH: And so it really is --

CURNOW: Kira Johnson's husband, Charles hasn't stopped remembering.

JOHNSON: -- remember mommy well.

CURNOW: He's still grieving, still angry from that night in hospital.

JOHNSON: I can see the Foley catheter coming from Kira's bedside began to turn pink with blood.

CURNOW: He says doctors told them now 3-year-old Langston's birth would be a routine cesarean section.

JOHNSON: I just held by her hands, and said, please, look, my wife isn't doing well. And this woman looked me directly in my eyes, and she said,

sir, your wife just isn't a priority right now.

And it wasn't until 12:30 a.m. the next morning that they finally made the decision to take Kira back to surgery.

CURNOW: As critical minutes turned into hours, Johnson says he was continually ignored by staff at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, as

Kira's health continue to suffer.

JOHNSON: When they took Kira back to surgery and he opened her up, there were 3-1/2 liters of blood in her abdomen from where she had been allowed

to bleed internally for almost 10 hours. And her heart stopped immediately.

CURNOW: Johnson is suing the hospital for the loss of his wife. And with the case pending, Cedars-Sinai told CNN in a statement that they could not

respond directly because of privacy laws. But that Cedars-Sinai thoroughly investigates any situation where there are concerns about a patient's

medical care.

Kira was a successful entrepreneur who spoke five languages.

This is a video she recorded teaching her firstborn son to speak Mandarin. This was a woman who could fly planes and skydive, seemed invincible to her

family, which is why her death is so much harder to understand.

JOHNSON: That's why I started to do the research myself and I realized that, oh, my gosh, we are in the midst of a maternal mortality crisis that

isn't just shameful for American standards, it is shameful on a global scale.

CURNOW: The charity Every Mother Counts which was started by supermodel Christy Turlington, works across the world on maternal health, but also in

the U.S. Because America is the only developed country with a rising death rate for pregnant or new mothers. Approximately 700 women in the U.S. die

each year.

Globally, the comparison is stark. More mothers die in childbirth in America than they do in Iran, Turkey, or Bosnia Herzegovina, even

Kazakhstan. All have lower maternal death rates.

LYNSEY ADDARIO, WAR PHOTOGRAPHER: Finally, they took her to the doctor.

CURNOW: Lynsey Addario is a Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer, who's documented the deaths of women in childbirth around the world in the same

way she tackles a war zone.

[10:45:05]

ADDARIO: It's almost more heartbreaking because I think when I go to war, I kind of know what to expect.

CURNOW: What she did not expect was to find that her own birthplace, America, was failing pregnant women in some of the same ways that much less

developed countries failed their mothers.

ADDARIO: When I go to the United States, I see, you know, these little scenes of heartbreak. I just can't believe they're happening in my own

country. It's almost harder.

CURNOW: Every Mother Counts says many of their deaths are because of an unequal healthcare system and systemic racism. Public health experts warn

this crisis is not just affecting poor or sick moms, but also a healthy, college-educated African American woman.

WANDA BARFIELD, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, CDC: We do know that there may be issues in terms of institutional racism, a well-educated

African American woman with more than a high school education has a five- fold risk of death compared to a white woman with less than high school education.

JOHNSTON: There is a failure and a disconnect for the people who are responsible for the lives of these precious women and babies to see them

and value them in the same way that they would their daughters, their mothers, their sisters.

CURNOW: Now, part of an unnecessarily large fraternity of Americans who've lost partners in childbirth, Charles is pushing for policy changes, raising

awareness, and trying to hold doctors and hospitals accountable.

JOHNSON: If I can simply do something to make sure that I send other mothers home with their precious babies, then it's all worth it.

CURNOW: And he's raising his sons teaching them about their mother.

JOHNSTON: What we're trying to do is just wake up every day and make mommy proud, repeat.

Why did you do so good?

CURNOW: Robyn Curnow, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, in what -- also in that report, we have the director of reproductive health at the CDC, who said that we really need to understand the

institutional racism or biases against mothers to be there is little concrete evidence towards why we see such a big racial disparity.

So, I want to point your attention to one study which highlights how racial biases play into the U.S. medical world in general. Now, in 2016, the

University of Virginia examined why African Americans may receive inadequate treatment for pain not only compared with white patients but

also relative to the standards of the World Health Organization.

Now, the study found that white medical students and residents often believed incorrect and sometimes, and I quote here, fantastical, biological

fallacies about racial differences in patients. Research has blamed not individual prejudices or targeted racism for these medical myths but rather

deeply ingrained unconscious stereotypes about people of color.

But unconscious stereotypes are automatic, unintentional, and universal. This, of course, is just one study. But it does give us an insight into an

issue that does need to be recognized and addressed.

This tragedy of racial disparity for maternal mortality is intertwined with another issue, African American infant mortality. According to the CDC's

most recent data, African American infants are more than twice as likely to die than white influence. That disparity is wider that in 1850, which was

15 years before the end of slavery, where most African American women were considered chattel.

Move this a lot to process, I realized. But I want to leave you with one number, and that is 60. According to CDC, 60 percent of all pregnancy-

related deaths in the U.S., no matter the race of the mother can be prevented with better health care, communication, and support.

We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:51:29]

ANDERSON: A court in London will be meeting in the coming days to discuss whether the United Kingdom should hand over WikiLeaks founder Julian

Assange to the United States. Hundreds of his supporters march from the Australian Government's Representative Office to Parliament.

They are urging the U.K. to reject Washington's extradition request, saying, it will set a dangerous precedent for citizen rights. My colleague

Phil Black tells us what got Julian Assange to this point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Julian Assange's efforts to avoid American prosecutors through pure stubbornness ultimately failed.

After almost seven years, waiting them out inside London's Ecuadorian embassy, he was finally dragged out.

Now he's got one move left, winning in court. U.S. prosecutors wanted to face 18 charges relating to obtaining classified government information

later published on WikiLeaks, secret diplomatic cables, documents and material from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Including this video, which shows an American Apache helicopter shooting civilians and journalists in Baghdad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear.

BLACK: U.S. officials have long claimed Assange and WikiLeaks have damaged America's national security.

MIKE POMPEO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: It's time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is, a non-state hostile intelligence service

often abetted by state actors like Russia.

BLACK: Supporters see Assange and his organization very differently. Celebrating him as champions of free speech and accountability. Serving the

public interest by exposing dark secrets powerful people want to keep hidden.

KRISTINN HRAFNSSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, WIKILEAKS: I said repeatedly, Julian Assange is a political prisoner, this is a political case.

BLACK: That's expected to be a key pillar of the team's legal effort to fight extradition, especially since Assange's lawyers recently revealed

they plan to argue the charges against him are directly linked to his refusal to help President Trump. The White House says that's a lie. Legal

experts say it could be effective in court.

NICK VAMOS, FORMER HEAD OF EXTRADITION, CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE: The best possible argument for Mr. Assange's legal team to make is to say the reason

he is being prosecuted is so that President Trump could then offer to drop the charges in exchange for something that was to his political advantage.

So, the only reason or the main reason for the prosecution was to arrange this deal. That would be a prosecution that was being bought for political

purpose.

JULIAN ASSANGE, FOUNDER, WIKILEAKS: United States must renounce its witch hunt.

BLACK: Enemy of the state or a persecuted hero. This legal process won't decide Assange's guilt or innocence just whether it's fair for him to be

tried in America, something Julian Assange is desperate to avoid because it could mean spending the rest of his life in prison.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: To a rare touching moments on the U.S. campaign trail this primary season at a town hall in Denver, Colorado. A 9-year-old boy asked

Pete Buttigieg for advice on bravery, specifically, help telling the world that he is gay. Here is how Mayor Pete, as he is known in the U.S.

responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:54:54]

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to tell you a couple of things that might be useful. The first thing is that it won't always be

easy, but that's OK because you know who you are. And that's really important because when you know who you are, you have a center of gravity

that can hold you together when all kinds of chaos is happening around you. That's the first thing I want you to know.

The second thing I want you to know is that you will never know who's taking their lead from you. Who's watching you and deciding that they can

be a little braver because you have been brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: There is some humanity on the campaign. Mayor Pete's husband, I am told, brought that little boy off the stage. What a lovely story.

Right, and we are going to take a very short break. That was the first hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with us. We have another hour right after

this very short break. We will be talking to a representative of the World Health Organization as serious concerns continue to exist, not the least in

this region of the Middle East about the coronavirus outbreak. Back, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END