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Police Take Zero Tolerance Approach To Demonstrations; Next Hour: UK PM To Appear Before Commons Liaison Committee; EU Commission Unveils $825 Billion Financial Recovery Plan; Growing Calls For West To Stand Up For Hong Kong; Protests Over African-American Man's Death In Police Custody; Twitter Under Pressure To Remove Trump Conspiracy Tweets. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 27, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:18]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello everyone and welcome. I'm Hala Gorani. The very latest on the coronavirus pandemic and news out of Hong
Kong where there is anger. Protesters are accusing China of cracking down under the cover of a pandemic.
Also this hour, Boris Johnson is in the hot seat. The British Prime Minister is standing by his top advisor, even though it means another round
of awkward questions.
We'll bring you those live. Plus, $800 billion, that's how much the E.U. is proposing to get out of the coronavirus economic hole. Is it enough to keep
all the member states on board? I'll speak to the European parliament economic affairs chief later this hour.
Well, you remember at the beginning of the pandemic, when we talked about Hong Kong, it was to talk about the COVID pandemic. But in Hong Kong today,
it is the government's all out the zero tolerance approach to protests that is gripping the city once again.
CNN was there as police descended on protesters. You see our Anna Coren and her team. They're capturing the scene. Completely chaotic, 3,000 riot
police have been out in force in the past few hours. They say around 300 arrests were made. Protesters are very clear about what they're doing.
They see this as a fight to save Hong Kong and its basic freedoms. They're furious over two new laws proposed by the Chinese Communist Party. One, a
national security law that would effectively make protesting illegal and now, a bill that would make it a crime to insult China's national anthem,
sounds authoritarian to them.
CNN's Anna Coren spoke with our Rosemary Church a bit earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the distance, you can see crowds of protesters who have been chanting slogans like, Hong Kong independence,
it's the only way out. That is something that we've been hearing. It is no longer five demands or six demands. It is now calling for independence.
This, of course, is in the wake of Beijing saying that this national security law that it's proposed is going to be enforced on Hong Kong.
A short time ago, Rosemary, we were following the protesters as police came in, and one of the protesters was arrested right in front of me. Police
were spraying pepper spray, which has sort of been their go-to over the course of the day. I got hit with pepper spray. Other members of my crew
got hit with pepper spray. It's not a pleasant experience at all, a real burning sensation. But this is how they have been dispersing the crowds
today.
We heard from police they have arrested 240 people to date. And remembering, too, that the reason everyone turned out was for this national
anthem bill being debated in LegCo. That is due to be debated over four days.
The final vote, however, will now take place on June 4th, next week, which is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. This is
incredibly controversial to be placing the vote on that particular day. Many people feel this is just rubbing salt into the wounds.
Hong Kong protesters, if Sunday was an indication, if today is any indication, considering police have arrested around 240 people, they will
not be allowed to gather on the 4th of June to show their respects, to hold that vigil like they have every single year since the massacre, the only
place in China where they have been allowed to gather. But police are not allowing any type of assembly of people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And that was Anna Coren.
While CNN talked to one of the leading pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, Joshua Wong, and he spoke of the dangers that protesters could face
if this security legislation actually becomes law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Beijing have found their strength outbreak of coronavirus and which is crystal clear how they hope to silence
the voice of Hong Kong is that in previous day we might be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed in Hong Kong but once the national security law
passed, secret police from Beijing could arrest to me to the mainland China and I might be jailed in Beijing instead of Hong Kong in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:18]
GORANI: Well, that's on one hand. On the other hand, and you would expect this person to say this, Hong Kong's number two official says the new law
would not erode the territory's freedoms.
Our Ivan Watson, pressed Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, in this exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHEUNG, HONG KONG CHIEF SECRETARY: It's a very important piece of law. I think it's stepping in the right direction. It will strengthen in
the end in the long term the One Country Two Systems' principle. And also at the same time, it will consolidate Hong Kong's position as a financial
international metropolis.
The reason is pretty simple, harmony, stability are the key to success for any society. Now, in Hong Kong, we pride ourselves over our core values. In
Hong Kong, we treasure our rule of law, independent judiciary, a free society. People enjoy freedom of speech, the press, travel, bouffant,
whatever, religion, and other.
And this what makes Hong Kong tick. We are really an international hub for the region and also, of course, for China as well. So that piece of
legislation, it sounds a bit negative, but in fact, it's a positive step in the right direction.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why do you think it sounds negative, Sir?
CHEUNG: It sounds negative because some people got the wrong idea that this will erode Hong Kong's freedom will undermine One Country Two Systems, in
fact, that's the reverse.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, Ivan Watson joins me now with more in his exclusive interview. So Cheung was vague on details. Obviously, pro-democracy
activists are absolutely terrified that this means it's the end of Hong Kong as they know it. Practically speaking, what happens next? When does
this legislation become law?
WATSON: The next step takes place up in Beijing with the National People's Congress. Now, this was a very rare interview that I had with Matthew
Cheung, the second most powerful official in the Hong Kong administration.
CNN has been asking for interviews with the Hong Kong government and the last real sit down at a senior level was with the Chief Executive Carrie
Lam in 2017. Mr. Cheung, I tried to ask him questions. He was trying to reassure business circles and the international community that Hong Kong
will not change that only 99.99 percent of the people who live in this city will not be affected by this new national security law.
But when I asked him specific questions, if you are charged with terrorism under this new law, can you be taken to mainland China for prosecution and
courts there? He said, I don't know. When I asked him, as a delegate at the National People's Congress has called for foreign judges who work in Hong
Kong's judiciary to be barred from ruling on national security cases? He said, I don't know.
When I asked whether the law could be retroactive, and you could be convicted for something that happened a year ago, under this new law.
Again, he said, I don't really know, that will come out when the law is written and drafted and approved. And I said, do you have any influence on
the content of this law? And this number two official in the Hong Kong administration told me, he doesn't really have that.
So he sounded very much like a bystander, and this plays to the case of critics who say, by pushing through and imposing this national security
law, the central government in China is breaking the arrangements for Hong Kong's autonomy that are supposed to last until 2047. Hala?
GORANI: Right. All right, well, thanks very much, Ivan Watson with that exclusive, that rare interview. Appreciate it.
We'll be speaking more about Hong Kong a little bit later in the program and what it really means for the territory going forward. So many of you
watch us from Hong Kong, by the way, hear from you on social media quite a bit.
Let's take a detour via New York. Now, New York City hit a milestone at the stock exchange, but there's still a lot of work to do before the city is
reopened. Brynn Gingras takes a look at the recovery headlines across the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo helped ringed in the stock exchange for the first time in two
months. It's the only part of the state he says is not yet ready to be open this morning.
[10:10:01]
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): So it had the worst problem in the nation, one of the worst problems on the globe and we're now going to focus on reopening
New York City.
And, again, we do it smartly. We have data. We have tests. We can focus on the new cases in New York City. Where are those infections still coming
from?
(voice-over): That message echoed in some of the hardest hit states like Michigan, where new coronavirus cases are decreasing as the state begins to
reopen businesses like retail stores.
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Let's not us here in Michigan have made the sacrifice in vain and see our numbers start to rise again. We have to learn
to live with this virus for the time being. That means masks and distancing and hand washing.
(voice-over): This as the CDC warned, antibody tests should not be a deciding factor on whether employees return to work saying they could be
inaccurate as much as half the time.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There was this rush to get tests out there. Now they're dialing that back and trying to go back
and validate some of these tests. You don't want to tell people they have the antibodies and they don't because they'll have this false sense of
security.
(voice-over): The number of new coronavirus cases is rising in at least 14 states. But in Georgia, one of the first states to roll back restrictions,
it appears that new cases are mostly holding steady. Atlanta's mayor says it's too early to be content.
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), ATLANTA, GEORGIA: We're not quite out of the woods. But it does concern me that we are seeing people disregard
social distancing guidelines.
(voice-over): As President Trump continues to make wearing face coverings a political issue from the White House, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sending
this message instead.
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): You supposed to love your fellow man and woman and that's what we're really doing. And I think that's the message that you're
not worrying about so much for yourself as you're wearing it for that person that you're going to come in contact with.
(voice-over): Meanwhile, in most of California, hair salons and barbershops can now open using new safety guidelines including face coverings for staff
and clients. But residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco will have to wait to use these surfaces again.
MAYOR LONDON BREED (D), SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: We know that people are getting anxious, they want services and also people are anxious about
getting back to work but we want to make sure we do so responsibly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, and that was Brynn Gingras reporting. Let's bring in senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. So Elizabeth, U.S. states are
reopening some faster than others. But we're seeing spikes in cases and, you know, unsettling rises in infection and case numbers in some parts of
the United States where and why?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the why is pretty basic, though, this is an infectious disease, the more you get
people together, the more cases you're going to have. Viruses depend on person to person transmission. The more people stay at home, those numbers
are going to go down, which is what we've seen.
So I think what we're seeing here is, officials trying to strike a balance. And I think many people feel like they've struck the balance in the wrong
way that people are getting together too much. And we're not being strict enough about mask.
There are rules about masks in many different places in the United States. But, you know, some places have actually put up requirements for mask. And
then when people get upset, they actually dial them back. You know, it's problematic to have all these different rules and all these different
places.
GORANI: Right. And we'll see if that leads to a tightening of the restrictions in some cases. Let me ask you about vaccines because we've
been talking about vaccines really from the beginning of this pandemic, because it will really be the only thing that completely sets us free.
Where are we are not because we're starting to hear probabilities from some of the labs working on a vaccine against COVID?
COHEN: So back in January, I always keep going back to this date, Hala. Back in January, Dr. Anthony Fauci said 12 to 18 months, which would put us
at June to July of next year. And many people have sort of stuck to that timeline or said that it was even too ambitious that we may not even have
anything by that time.
The promises and there have been assurances by various groups. So we think we can have by the end of the year. I think those have really been cast
into doubt. One of the loudest voices in the vaccine discussion has been the University of Oxford. They previously said that they were 80 percent
sure that theirs was going to be a success.
I had an interview recently with one of their lead researchers, and he said we are going to be first. He said the other vaccines he called one of them,
weird. He said that they were just noise. He was quite insulting to the other vaccines. And now he has had to dial himself back. He's now saying
that there's a 50 percent chance they won't get any results when they do their tests.
[10:15:01]
Vaccines are a tricky business. We should all keep in the back of our heads. There is a possibility we won't get one. Vaccines don't always work
out. And if we do get one, hopefully in the first half of next year, but it might be later.
GORANI: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, our senior medical correspondent, thanks very much.
All of you, all of you watching this program know that until we have this vaccine that it will this virus fundamentally alter how we live our lives,
how we work, how we socialize with our friends and neighbors, how we even take a walk in the park.
So this is one of the most important stories, this race for the vaccine. We're going to keep our eye on how close or how far as the case may be
these medical labs and these universities and these initiatives behind the vaccines how they are progressing.
Here in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson is going to continue to face some very tough questions about his top advisor. This will
happen in the House of Commons. Next hour, polls are showing that his popularity is plummeting.
A YouGov poll for the "Times" newspaper has the opposition Labour Party closing the gap with Mr. Johnson's conservatives by 9 percent, nine points
in just a week. This is all fallout from a scandal involving Dominic Cummings, who left London with his family to travel more than 400
kilometers during the lockdown.
Now this was against the rules that the government itself said applied to everybody. He refused to resign this week and Mr. Johnson has refused to
fire him. You can watch the Prime Minister's appearance in Parliament live next hour on CNN.
Right now, I want to bring in our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, with more on what to expect from Boris Johnson. And some
observers have said, you know, if Dominic Cummings right from the get-go had said, I acknowledge I made a huge mistake. I apologize unreservedly. It
was wrong of me to do this, that this probably would have gone away by now.
But what he's doing and what the government is doing is trying to kind of like, you know, explain away his actions by bending the rules and splitting
hairs on some of the terminology in the government guidance, and that's not playing well at all.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's an understatement, Hala. Certainly we're seeing a number of polls that have
been carried out and released today, which seemed to indicate that, indeed, the British public is far more exercised about this than they have been
about some of the government's other more controversial failures with regards to the coronavirus.
One poll by Savanta ComRes shows. Johnson's personal popularity has fallen 20 points in just four days, another by the Daily Mail, which is
traditionally quite a Conservative readership, two-thirds people say that Cummings should resign, 55 percent Conservatives say that Cummings should
resign.
And two more polls out show a sort of narrowing of the gap of popularity between Conservative and Labour, with Conservatives still showing as being
more popular but that popularity definitely taking a hit as a result of the continued presence of the Prime Minister's aide Dominic Cummings, many
people are keen to see him either offer his resignation or keen to see the Prime Minister essentially forced that resignation, including I might add,
Hala more than 30 Conservative Tory M.P.s who have also been outspoken about their opposition to this.
At the end of the day, this becomes a question of perceived hypocrisy. And while the public may be willing to forgive some of the government's
missteps throughout the coronavirus crisis, because it is unprecedented, because we are sort of in a period of uncharted territory, they are much
less willing to condone behavior that directly contradicts the guidelines that the government has been giving the public especially at this time
when, Hala, as our viewers know so well, people have been making inordinate personal sacrifices, people have lost parents and loved ones, and not being
able to attend their funerals.
And when you're making those kinds of sacrifices, and it seems that people in power are not doing the same. And, you know, we should add that Dominic
Cummings has his side of the story here and says that he was desperately looking for childcare.
He was worried he and his wife would be incapacitated. But there is a sense to many people that there's a spurious nature to his story that some of it
doesn't add up, particularly this now infamous visit to a castle, a 60-mile round trip that he says he made to test whether his eyesight was working.
And at the end of the day, Hala, it's just not playing well with the public.
GORANI: No, it certainly is not. And as you said, from, you know, the left all the way to the right of the political spectrum, really there is
condemnation. These newspapers that normally agree on nothing, as you mentioned, they're agreeing on this particular story. Thanks very much,
Clarissa.
[10:20:15]
Now, the European Commission unveiled a massive plan to get Europe out of its worst financial shock since the 1930s. But our member states united
behind it, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, Australia and New Zealand are taking steps to resume tourism between the two countries you can see some places like salons and beaches
starting to reopen, lot of people are ready for travel to open up again as well, a so called Safe Border Group is set to present new travel plans to
both governments early next month.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the goal is to resume flights without requiring travelers between the two countries to
quarantine. Right now, both countries borders are closed to most international visit visitors. And anyone who does arrive from overseas does
face a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Now that's that part of the world as far as Europe is concerned, the European Commission is unveiling its recovery plan to get the European
Union out of the deep financial slump sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. It includes billions, hundreds of billions in grants and loans, something
Germany and France wanted. But other member states may not be as happy.
Irene Tinagli is a member of the European Parliament and chair of its Economic Affairs Committee. Thanks for being with us. So is this sort of a
burden sharing of the debt, is this so called mutualization of debt in the E.U.?
IRENE TINAGLI, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I would rather call it sharing the burden of an emergency that has that is unprecedented in our history,
so sharing the risk, sharing the cost that comes with this shock. So it is temporary, but it lays the foundation of our Europe that it's, you know,
more united and stronger than ever. So I really think is a big leap forward for European Union.
GORANI: Some countries aren't necessarily happy about the debt sharing aspect that they don't feel like their taxpayers should be responsible for
repaying the debt of countries that may not be able to afford it as much that may have more of a debt burden for instance, Mark Rutte, the Dutch
Prime Minister said that these should only be loans without mutualization of debt. So, not everyone is buying in.
TINAGLI: Well, I mean, they are, I think probably they didn't really understand exactly what is at stake first and last this massive plan is
about. It's not about condoning past or neutralize past debts or, you know, condoning weird behavior, it's about facing this crisis together, keeping
the European Union, the single market stronger help.
[10:25:19]
They help companies and firms that have been hit hard by the crisis, because of no one's fault except for this external shock. This is what is
about providing these firms and companies and countries their resources to deal with this shock. So and everybody will benefit from it because
everybody benefit from a strong and healthy single hand.
Now, I think they will realize that --
GORANI: Well, the --
TINAGLI: -- vast majority of --
GORANI: The issue too is if you add up all of the recovery funds and the aid, you're close to $3 trillion here. I mean, where does all this money
come from?
TINAGLI: Well, part of the money comes from the E.U. budget from contribution of the member states. A big chunk of this will come from, of
course, European bonds that will be issued and then will be repaid by all the members but also by a step forward in the fiscal union in, you know,
having additional own resources for the E.U. budget.
The E.U. budget is very small. That's why we need to increase it a little bit and to make the European Union stronger and more capable of facing
these expenses. So it is -- I think, a strong hand, we make the European Union stronger and everybody will benefit from it.
GORANI: Right. The GDP of the zone, the Eurozone projected to go down almost 8 percent this year. And people might be concerned that this means
that the slump could last longer. How do you even recover from that type of slump? What could you tell people who live in the Eurozone about when they
can expect some sort of recovery?
TINAGLI: Well, the economy is supposed to bounce back already 2021. And so of course, much depends on the type of response we give now. So that's why
the European Union and the Commission today, they push forward this proposal that, yes, it is very strong, but it is important to act now to
make sure that we have a strong recovery next year, that we support the bouncing back of the economy.
So we have to act swiftly and strong enough to make sure we support the recovery next year. So I'm pretty confident if we are united in supporting
this plan. We can make it to have a stronger economy and the recovery next year.
GORANI: All right, Irene Tinagli, thanks very much for joining us.
Coming up on the program, Brazil's COVID-19 infections are still very much on the rise. And now one mayor is calling for the President's resignation,
details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:49]
GORANI: Let's return to our top story. Now, you are looking at video from the heart of Hong Kong. Just a few hours ago, 3,000 riot police were
deployed. They fired tear gas at protesters. They arrested hundreds, hundreds already angry over a new national security bill. And demonstrators
faced off with police, Wednesday, over a bill that would make it illegal to insult China's national anthem.
Among other things, they see this as a power grab by Beijing. They see this as an authoritarian move. They see this as China, you know, hiding under
the cover of COVID to do this. Some of the West's most influential people from Hong Kong's last British governor who we heard from yesterday to U.S.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, say it is time to stand up for Hong Kong but that also means obviously standing up to China.
Joining me now from London is Karin von Hippel, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, the world's oldest independent think tank
on international defense and security. Thank you for joining us.
First of all, your overall take about what's going on in Hong Kong today. What is Beijing's end goal?
KARIN VON HIPPEL, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: You know, I think are feeling a bit desperate right now. They know that the
world -- they're on the back foot right now. They know the world's blaming them for an epidemic, getting out of control and becoming a pandemic. They
know that countries have already started to push back on the quite aggressive private sector or actually the state sector in China.
But their industrial policy overseas and the way they were buying into so many critical tech and other industries in Europe, in the United States,
and elsewhere. So there has been -- this is very aggressive push by China. And Europeans and others have started to wake up to the threat posed by
China. And now the pandemic is capping it all off.
So I think they're feeling a bit desperate and they're acting out, they're lashing out probably more than they might have had this pandemic not
happened.
GORANI: Are they using Hong Kong as pawn?
HIPPEL: Hard to say. I mean Hong Kong was happening before the pandemic. It was likely did continue happening. But they are being a bit aggressive in
the eyes of the world are on them right now. So they're going to have to be very careful.
I do think that more countries are emboldened to push back on China than they were before. And in many ways, President Trump can get credit for that
because the previous U.S. administrations were more reluctant to publicly to push back on China. And now obviously, the U.S. has done it many times
and many Europeans and others are reassessing their relationship with China right now.
So it's an interesting opportunity for Europeans and the United States to try to speak with one voice on Hong Kong right now.
GORANI: But do you think European countries France, Germany, others, I mean we even heard from Elizabeth Warren who's on the opposite side of the
political spectrum to Donald Trump, say, you know, China needs to be held to account here. Do you think that we'll see countries step in where they
were a little bit more reluctant to do so before?
HIPPEL: It's interesting. I think the European Union has tried several times to have a more unified strategy on China. China has done very well by
investing in some of the smaller European countries over the years and so some of those countries have blocked a common strategy on China such as
Greece and Portugal.
But I think today, many of those -- France, Britain, Germany, lead and push back on this on what's happening in Hong Kong. I think the E.U. will join
together. I think other organizations are also thinking about what they can do. I think people recognize China is a bit weaker now and on the back
foot.
GORANI: But do they have leverage? Do they have leverage?
HIPPEL: leverage to do what? No one is going to go to war but, you know, China should be shamed --
GORANI: Yes.
HIPPEL: -- publicly for what they're doing by these countries. And I think that's what it is. It's a public outcry. It's not acceptable behavior. I
think that's the message that needs to get out there. You know, you can't treat fellow citizens this way. And so I think that's really what they --
[10:35:04]
GORANI: But do they -- do they respond to a public outcry. I mean, in the past they haven't. They've been acted repressively toward these Hong Kong
demonstrators from the get-go.
HIPPEL: It's a very good point and I think the West in particular has misread what works with China. I'm not sure what would work with China
either. But I don't think the West has been asserted publicly and speaking with one voice up to now about this type of behavior in China.
So they've tried to do it behind the scenes or individual countries have done it. And I think a concerted effort but, you know, 12 to 15 countries
from Australia to the United States could make a difference this time.
GORANI: What -- I mean, but if it doesn't, is it -- is this the end of the Hong Kong that we've known, I mean.
HIPPEL: You know, that's a good question. And, you know, the Chinese have been pushing on Hong Kong, very hard, you know, over the past year in
particular, they threatened to do the same thing in Taiwan. I don't think they're going to militarily invade Hong Kong nor will they invade Taiwan
right now, but they've been using force obviously, as we've seen in Hong Kong police force and another type of force, but I'm not sure they'll go
further than that right now.
GORANI: Karin von Hippel of Royal United Services Institute, thank you so much for joining us, always a pleasure talking to you.
We've been talking about Brazil and how the number of cases there is very worrying. And the coronavirus numbers continue to move very much in the
wrong direction. Monday and Tuesday saw a two-day spike that surpassed the daily infections in the United States.
In Manaus, one of the hardest hit cities in the country, the mayor launched harsh criticism of the Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, blaming him for
this spike and calling for his resignation.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a landing of last resort, seeking salvation in a coronavirus hotbed.
Tiny planes bring the sickest COVID patients from hundreds of miles away deep in the Amazon to Manaus, Brazil's worst-hit city, and to a hospital
bed. A journey most make alone, from which some won't go home. This is what doing well looks like on these flights, moving. The woman on board
struggling, motionless. Once they had to intubate a patient in midair.
SELMA HADDAD, DOCTOR: It's very hard to carry a weight that you don't see. Every time I carry this weight, I feel like I carried this weight.
WALSH: They arrive in a city mired not only death, but also fury. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has made light of the virus and call the mayor
here a piece of excrement for digging these mass graves. They had little choice here when the bodies started piling up.
This month they buried 103 in one day, digging at night. Even in two hours, five come, one by one, laid in the trench. Many mourners say those aren't
coronavirus deaths, but it's hard to know here.
(on camera): The official numbers in Brazil don't tell the whole picture, partly because there isn't enough testing. You can see that here. These are
those who've died and have tested positive for coronavirus, but these graves, staggeringly, well, they're the ones that they suspect may have
died of the disease.
(voice-over): The mass burial itself distressing.
PEDRO CHAVES, MANAUS RESIDENT: We're around 30 minutes waiting for rabbis. I just want to put my mom there and finish this. We don't need this. My
family doesn't need this.
WALSH: We asked the grave diggers who thinks fewer would have died here if the President had kept quiet. No one listens to Bolsonaro, one says. He's
not there for the people, adds another. He should have asked us what was going on.
But still the hospitals here receive a daily stream of new patients, these from outlying villages where local tribes live, badly hit, too. The ICU,
which avoids ventilators, where possible using less invasive means, is frenetic. And even the patients have heard what the President said.
The mayor is just trying to save lives, says Raymundo, and the President is against that.
Inside, a local indigenous leader visits, newly adopting the role from his father, killed by the virus two weeks ago. I took my father into hospital
where he was intubated for five days, he says. Now we have 300 people with symptoms. Politically, the President forgot us and is killing the
indigenous people.
Bolsonaro insists he is for economic growth and safety, but the virus is still tearing through the poor here. Their remote way of life was no
protection from this modern plague. It just put help further away.
[10:40:10]
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Manaus, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: After the break, protests are growing over another death of an African-American man while in police custody, his family is speaking out.
Also, we've all seen it now that video in Central Park of an African- American man, a birdwatcher, and the confrontation that ensued racially charged confrontation with a woman. We have the video and the fallout
coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: There's growing outrage in the U.S. and around the world over the death of an African-American man while in police custody. Protests erupted
in the city of Minneapolis after video emerged of the man George Floyd being pinned down to the ground as a police officer kept his knee on
Floyd's neck. He died later at the hospital, at a hospital nearby, that officer and three others have now been fired. And calls are growing for
them to face criminal prosecution. Here's CNN's Omar Jimenez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protests intensifying overnight in Minneapolis. Four police officers were fired after their
involvement in the death of George Floyd.
Police lined the streets throwing tear gas and nonlethal projectiles to disperse crowds after thousands flooded the streets, Tuesday. Anger boiling
over in the community when a cell phone video was shot Monday night showing a police officer with his knee to Floyd's neck while he's on the ground
handcuffed.
For several long minutes, George Floyd told the officer he couldn't breathe, as bystanders pleaded with officers that Floyd was struggling. And
protesters echoed Floyd's words in the pouring rain last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody in the world need to be watching this. The world, please watch this.
(voice-over): The officers say they were responding to an alleged forgery in progress and were initially told the suspect was sitting on a car
seemingly under the influence. Police said Floyd physically resisted and they placed him under arrest.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey supporting the decision to fire the officers.
MAYOR JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: For five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in
the most basic human sense.
CNN has obtained new surveillance video from a nearby restaurant that shows two police officers crossing the street and approaching the car at 8:33
p.m. Monday night. The officers are talking to the passengers in the car for a few minutes before two passengers emerge from the car.
[10:45:05]
George is then taken from the car by one of the officers and is handcuffed. Floyd is sitting against the exterior of the building on the sidewalk while
another police car arrives. Eventually two cops pull George up from the ground and walk back across the street. Floyd's family is saying, they want
the officers charged with murder.
PHILONESE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER: He screamed, Mama, Mama, I can't breathe, I can't breathe. (INAUDIBLE) killed. They treated him worse than
they treat animals, and I was (INAUDIBLE) like this.
They took a life, now they deserve life. I don't feel sorry for them. They hurt me, they hurt my family.
(voice-over): Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, calling on an outside investigation to be conducted to explore possible criminal charges against
the officers.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): This was not a sudden mistake or a procedure gone bad. This was over a period of time. You've got to look at all the
evidence. But to me, this evidence is just crying out for some kind of a charge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Omar Jimenez joins me now live from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's very difficult to watch this video. I've only watched it two or three times
even though obviously I need to for the program. But how -- I mean is there any justification from the police officers as to why they pinned a
handcuffed man down, face down on the pavement with a knee to his neck for five minutes when he was repeatedly telling them he couldn't breathe?
JIMENEZ: Well, whether you're watching that video for your job or otherwise, it is a difficult video to watch even though it just lasts less
than 10 minutes.
Now in regards to any sort of justification for that behavior, I think the statement made by the Minneapolis Police Department at least within the
first initial 24 hours was clear when they fired these officers. But the family of George Floyd says, that's not enough, they want more
accountability and more answers, frankly, at this point.
They want criminal charges to be filed against these officers which we are waiting to see if that will play out as investigations are currently
ongoing at the federal state and local levels as well. And we also saw protests.
Our crew is in place here as protests at times got violent, which really was more emblematic of the pain being felt in this community over how this
played out, pain that we are now seeing in places across the United States and across the world as well, Hala.
GORANI: Our Omar Jimenez, thanks very much in Minneapolis.
While we have an update for you on another his story out of the United States, Christian Cooper was out bird watching when he asked Amy Cooper, no
relation, to put her dog on a leash. She responded by calling 911 in a panic hysterically. Christian Cooper recorded it all on his cell phone,
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY COOPER: Sir, I'm asking you to stop recording me.
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Please don't come close to me.
A. COOPER: Please take your phone off.
C. COOPER: Please don't come close to me. Please, please call the cops. Please call the cops.
A. COOPER: I'm going to tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life.
C. COOPER: Please tell them whatever you like.
A. COOPER: Excuse me. I'm sorry. I'm in a ramble. And there is a man African-American (INAUDIBLE). He's recording me and threatening me and my
dog. There's an African-American man, I'm in Central Park. He's recording me reading myself and my dog. I'm sorry --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Amy Cooper has since apologized. This apology is not playing out well.
As I said, after the video went viral, her dog was taken away from her. She was fired from her job. Christian Cooper told CNN that he accepts her
apology, and that the death threats made against her need to stop. Of course, this has raised very, very painful issues in the United States,
involving African-American men and the behavior of police officers toward them.
And the fact that this woman, this white woman, obviously threatened to have the police called on him while she was being filmed using that kind of
weaponizing that threat against them. So it's raised a lot of important issues and questions.
[10:49:37]
Still to come on the program, Twitter is fact checking the President of the United States and he's threatening to hit back by shutting down or
regulating Twitter. We've got a live update. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: The American President Donald Trump is at odds with his favorite social media platform, Twitter, which has started fighting back against his
some of his false claims.
For the first time, the site flagged some of his tweets as quote potentially misleading. Two of them falsely claimed mail-in ballots would
result in widespread voter fraud that is factually incorrect and unproven.
The President is clearly unhappy about the matter in a series of tweets. He said this infringes on his freedom of speech. He claims social media
platforms are biased against conservatives and you even threatened to close them down, though he does not have that authority obviously.
Let's get more on this from someone who knows social media very well, our CNN technology reporter, Brian Fung in Washington. So, Brian, what happens
when you see two of the President's tweets claiming mail-in ballots promote fraudulent activity is a fact check, you can click on a fact check button.
And that leads you to what? Could you could you describe what users would be able to see if they fact check the President's tweet?
BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Sure. So this is a big step by Twitter. You see it linking to a fact check page using tweets. I'm sorry,
using a link at the bottom of tweets that were posted by President Trump. And the page lists series of articles and summaries of those articles
explaining how the President's claims may be misleading.
And this is really the first time that Twitter has decided to apply this treatment to Trump's tweets, but it raises, you know, further questions
about how the company is going to apply its policy in the future to the President's Twitter account.
Of course, Trump's response here is not surprising. He's repeatedly attacked social media companies for allegedly being biased against
conservatives. And throughout this month, Trump has indicated that there could be big action coming by the government against social media
companies.
And in fact, he tweeted minutes ago, something to that account -- something to that effect as well. But it's unclear what exactly he may be able to do
in this instance, and what powers he has as President to restrict the speech of a private company.
GORANI: And also what's interesting is Twitter didn't just link to a fact check page. There are a few paragraphs in there with sentences like Trump
falsely claims, the President Donald Trump falsely claims, you know, it very clearly indicating that the President is not tweeting factually
correct and supported statements.
They went that extra step. They didn't just sort of link to the equivalent of a Wikipedia page. They're basically accusing the president of lying.
FUNG: Right. And I've asked Twitter whether or not human created that text or whether it was algorithmically generated, and they've yet to respond to
that. And I think we'll be -- it'll be very interesting to see what their answer is and how they plan to implement this policy going forward.
Of course, this is not a new policy. It was implemented by Twitter weeks ago as part of a campaign to try and address misinformation and unverified
information on its platform. But of course now for the first time it's being applied to the President's Twitter account.
GORANI: And the widower of a woman who died in one of the offices of now MSNBC host Joe Scarborough is urging Jack Dorsey, the head of Twitter, to
delete some of President Trump's tweets suggesting that Joe Scarborough, this NBC host was somehow needs to be investigated for her murder when it
was established long ago that she had an undiagnosed heart condition. Is Twitter going to delete these presidential accusations and innuendos?
[10:55:22]
FUNG: Well, after this became an issue, Twitter addressed it saying in a statement, we are deeply sorry about the pain. These statements and the
attention they're drawing are causing the family. We've been working to expand existing product features and policies, so we can more effectively
address things like this going forward. And we hope to have those changes in place shortly.
Now, after it released that statement on the same day, it decided to apply these misleading statement flags to Trump's tweets about mail-in ballots,
leading to further questions about whether or not or why not the company has not applied this same treatment to Trump's spreading of a conspiracy
theory about Joe Scarborough's former aide.
GORANI: Right. Well, does Donald Trump need Twitter more than Twitter needs Donald Trump and those types of users? I guess that's the question. But
Twitter taking this kind of action, extremely interesting and potentially significant. Brian Fung thanks very much. We will be right back. I'll see
you next hour with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm Hala Gorani. I want to get straight to our top story this
hour.
Any minute now, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will take questions from the committee in parliament on the coronavirus pandemic, his
government's handling of the pandemic and also on his top aide who broke locked down rules and move that has angered the country, even some Tory
supporters.
The prime minister is facing intense criticism over this man, Dominic Cummings, and his travels during the lockdown. Cummings has refused to
resign. The Prime Minister has refused to fire him.
In just the past week, support for Mr. Johnson's Conservative Party has plummeted in the polls, along with his own personal approval rating. We
will take the Prime Minister's comments live right now. Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward joins me live from 10 Downing Street.
[11:00:02]
And, of course we really expect not just questions on the COVID pandemic, but on Dominic Cummings.
END
