Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
U.S. Marks Juneteenth; British Institutions Sorry for Slavery Links; Brazil Nears 1 Million COVID-19 Cases. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 19, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:14]
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm Hala Gorani.
A lot to get through this hour. Millions of Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, like they have never before. We'll discuss why the holiday
commemorating the end of slavery has found new meaning this year.
Also ahead, in the U.K., two major institutions are acknowledging their ties to the slave trade.
And as coronavirus continues to spread, Brazil is fast approaching a grim milestone -- 1 million cases of the virus.
(MUSIC)
GORANI: Well, we start today with Juneteenth. It's a word many people had never heard of until a few weeks ago. Now, millions, not just in America,
but around the world, are Googling this term to find out more about this day. June 19th, it commemorates the end -- the effective end of slavery in
the United States.
But the reason for this newfound interest in black history is not a cause for celebration. It's been triggered by the recent tragic deaths of
African-Americans like George Floyd at the hands of white law enforcement officers, and the massive now global Black Lives Matter protests have put a
glaring spotlight on racial inequality and policing, housing, education and just everyday life.
This reckoning about equal justice has quickly exploded to communities and corporations as well, now highlighting the progress Juneteenth is supposed
to symbolize.
A quick history lesson now. Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, that's when a union general arrived in Galveston, Texas, to let African-Americans know
that the civil war had ended and that they were free. It came two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Another reason for the day's prominence this year, President Trump had scheduled a campaign rally for today in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The date was
changed because Tulsa was the site of the massacre of hundreds of black Americans 99 years ago. Something that many Americans said they weren't
taught in school.
Tulsa's mayor is putting parts of the city on curfew ahead of this Trump campaign rally. Protests are scheduled for Saturday as well,
counterprotests.
Mr. Trump's supporters are already lining up in anticipation of this big event. Health officials are warning though that the recent spike we have
been seeing in some parts of America of coronavirus cases could be putting people at risk.
CNN's Abby Phillip joins me live from Tulsa, Oklahoma, with more on what to expect.
And some of the footage we have seen outside that rally location of a very, very enthusiastic supporters several days before the event was quite
remarkable.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Hala, and honestly, it's not that surprising for a President Trump rally. We typically see people
showing up days in advance and particularly for this one. It's first Trump rally that he's had since the start of the coronavirus epidemic here --
pandemic here in the United States. So, we are seeing the die hard supports camped out.
But on the other side of the town, where I am, we are preparing for a days worth of Juneteenth celebrations. We are in Greenwood District, in Tulsa,
which is where this is sort of historically black neighborhood that dates back over 100 years. This is where they typically have their Juneteenth
celebration every year.
It was actually canceled this year until President Trump scheduled his rally for initially this day. Then organizers leapt into action to try to
bring Juneteenth back as a sort of counterprotest. The president has moved the date, but we are expecting thousands and thousands of people to be in
the space behind me for speeches and music and celebrations while across town, the president's supporters are waiting and lining up by the droves to
get in to the BOK arena where 19,000 of them will be for the rally.
Hala, I did want to flag something that President Trump tweeted just a few minutes ago, just to give you a sense of what is underlying what is
happening here. The president sent a tweet that referenced protesters, anarchists, agitators and looters or low lives. He warned them, if they're
going to Oklahoma, please understand you won't be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle or Minneapolis. It will be a much different
scene.
Hala, that is exactly the type of rhetoric that I think people here in Tulsa were afraid of.
[10:05:01]
This is a city that is marking 99 years since a racial -- a racist mob of white residents killed hundreds of blacks here in this city. They mark that
every year, it's the 99 year just this month.
Today is Juneteenth. There is a sense here that this city could become a tinder box. The president seems to be warning protesters that they could
face a much harsher crackdown in the city because he's coming here tomorrow.
So, so far, things have been calm. It's actually pouring rain here which could have a dampening effect on the crowds that we see.
But I think there's some nervousness here about what we are -- what's to come in the coming hours and days and over 100,000 people are expected to
be coming in to Tulsa for two different sets of events and protests and rallies.
GORANI: All right. We're glad that you're covering it as well and that you flagged this tweet. I hadn't seen it. He posted it about 30 minutes ago.
Any protests, anarchists, agitators, looters or low lives, you will not be treated like you were in New York, Seattle or Minneapolis.
What exactly is your understanding of what the president is threatening here?
PHILLIP: Well, we know he has been very critical of local officials, especially in Seattle recently, but in those very cities, Minneapolis, New
York, about how they have responded to protests on the street. He has basically said they need to get tougher. He's told the governors, they need
to get tougher and crack down.
And we saw the president's sort of version of this in Lafayette Square if you'll remember in Washington, D.C., when, you know, the -- a number of
different law enforcement agencies were in that park, cleared a group of protesters with, you know, rubber bullets, pepper spray, that sort of
thing.
So the president has been very clear he thinks that these local officials need to get tougher, need to crack down on agitators in the group. But I
think his inclusion of the word "protesters" really raises some questions here. In the past, he's been able to distinguish between people who are
inciting violence and people who are peacefully protesting. Today in that tweet, he seemed to lump them in one -- in one warning and it really leads
to some questions about whether he's saying in general if there are protests here in the city, he thinks they should be dealt with more
harshly.
GORANI: All right. Thank you, Abby Phillip. And we can clearly see how hard it's raining behind you. Abby is live in Tulsa.
Well, marches and rallies for Juneteenth are planned across the United States, including several in New York. The first one is getting underway at
the city's Washington Square Park. Demonstrators there will be marching toward police headquarters and our correspondent Alexandra Field is at the
park and joins me now live.
What's the situation where you are?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Hala.
We got demonstrators who are starting to gather here. This is just one of many demonstrations that we'll see not just in Manhattan but, of course,
also, over the bridge in Brooklyn today. We're going to see the crowd gather and they are marching of course as you point out down to the police
headquarters.
That takes on, of course, a great deal of significance right now. It comes on the heels of the city council here in New York City passing a sweeping
package of reform bills. As you see this fight for racial equality and racial justice sweeping the nation, the emphasis here in New York City has
been on police reform. So, a victory is being counted in the fact that the council has now passed the package that will ban chokeholds. It will also
implement a number of other reforms like codifying people's right to videotape their interactions with police officers.
These are reforms, Hala, that people in New York have been fighting for for years now. You might remember back in 2014, after the death of Eric Garner,
there were marches in this city and across the country calling for this kind of action. They are starting to see steps in that direction, but we
know that today, people who are out here demonstrating, who are out here marching, raising their voices and coming together want to very much keep
the focus on this and they want to keep progress moving forward right now - - Hala.
GORANI: All right. Alexandra Field, thanks very much, live in New York.
Campaign rally or not, the latest polling numbers are not a good sign for the American president, Donald Trump. In fact, the new Fox News poll shows
Joe Biden has a 12 percentage point lead, the widest margin today nationwide.
Republican strategist Doug Heye joins me live from Washington, D.C. now.
Polls were so wrong before the 2016 election. And, anecdotally, you're seeing evidence that Trump's base is still extremely enthusiastic. I'm sure
you saw the long lines already forming outside that convention center in Tulsa where he's holding the first campaign rally in months.
Should we be careful about these numbers?
DOUG HEYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, absolutely. Look, no one should sugarcoat this.
[10:10:00]
This is bad news for the president. His numbers are about as bad as they could be.
And after everything we have seen not just over the past 20 days or so here in the United States, but also the past three months or so, with COVID,
there's a reason that he's earned these bad numbers.
But if you look at the numbers, what you see is there's a difference between what his approval rating is and what his re-election number is. And
I think what we'll see ultimately is at some point, those numbers become closer together where his approval rating right now is higher than his re-
election number. So, which is about 44 percent for his approval. Not great, but certainly better than 38 percent.
So if we see Trump's numbers starting to move back for re-election to where his approval is, we could be having a conversation in a few weeks or months
about now Donald Trump's ticking up in the polls again. There's a very big but we should take when we look at these numbers for Trump. They're bad,
but we know from the past that they can be wrong. And that Donald Trump's approval is higher. That could change.
GORANI: Well, at this time in 2016, his approval was a little bit lower. I mean, more or less within three or four points what it was today and he won
the election.
I wonder if you were advising Democrats and not Republicans, you would say, don't be complacent, that this is not a done deal by any stretch.
Especially because his supporters continue to back him regardless of what happens in the administration, regardless of how many ex-administration
official books slam him. Nothing seems to stick. I mean, maybe just a few percentage points lower but not more than that.
HEYE: Yes. Ultimately politically, the damage to the president is it takes him off the message that he wants to be focusing on. You know, as we have
had some mixed jobs numbers and economic numbers, what we're seeing is the economy is starting to potentially come back.
Donald Trump wants to tell the story about the great American comeback. So, if he's having to respond to military officials, to John Bolton, whomever
it may be, he's not able to talk about the great American comeback, whether we're having that or not.
I would also say you used the word "complacent".
GORANI: Yes.
HEYE: Democrats were complacent in the last weeks of the campaign in 2016. The rallies that we saw for Hillary Clinton were celebrations more than
they were rallies. They already knew that they were going to win, it was a done deal. So these were parties.
Democrats cannot afford to have that this time. The benefit they have right now is they have Joe Biden instead of Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden is much
more popular than Hillary Clinton was and Donald Trump has -- in the first run only could have beaten Hillary Clinton.
I can tell you, Hala, in my home state of North Carolina, I talk to a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 who said, but I would have
voted for Biden. We'll see if that's the case this time.
GORANI: Yeah. We will see if that's the case.
Donald Trump tweeted right after he threatened, by the way some of the protesters in Tulsa, he tweeted: 96 percent approval rating in the
Republican Party. No matter how you look at it, 94 percent, 92 percent, this is the party of Donald Trump. I mean, it's become cultish in a way.
And he's right to tweet that. That party, the Republican Party in America today, there are few exceptions obviously the Never Trumper Republicans and
conservatives, but the party as it today is his vehicle. His platform.
HEYE: It absolutely is. There's a problem there though. There are a lot of Republicans who have left the party in the past few years because of Trump,
because of the direction the party has been going even in the years before Trump.
To some extent, Donald Trump was a symptom, not the problem. Now he's the president and he owns the party, lock, stock and barrel. But it's a smaller
party which means he has less room for error, less room for error in North Carolina, in Michigan and Wisconsin. He's got to maximize his base but the
question is, will the base be enough come November? We just don't know that yet.
GORANI: Right. One of the revelations in the Bolton book is that he -- he asked President Xi to buy more soybeans and agricultural products to help
him win the election. But, I mean, one of the things that we have to remember is that he literally asked Russia to hack his opponent party's
emails before November 2016 and he still got elected.
So, asking Xi to buy soybeans -- I mean, is that something that's going to even make a dent with his supporters?
HEYE: Well, it does two things. One, it makes him hard to -- it makes it hard for Trump to sell the argument he's the one who's tough on China. But
I remember a conversation I had with a friend who's a soybean farmer actually in Palo Alto County, in Iowa, in northwestern Iowa, who said the
tariffs are hurting me, but Trump is doing something that George Bush and Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and the other George Bush wouldn't do, he's
willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. We'll see if he's going to do that for another four months.
But that argument does work with some of the farmers and again I can tell you I have had personal conversations about that. But again, it means that
Donald Trump can't really run as the tough on China candidate.
GORANI: All right. Doug Heye, thank you so much for joining us in Washington. It's always a pleasure.
HEYE: Thank you.
GORANI: Ahead on the show, Florida's ICU hospital beds are filling up fast and health officials worn that Florida could become the next coronavirus
epicenter in the U.S. We will take you live to Miami, next.
Plus, Brazil is approaching a somber milestone as it fights an uphill battle against the outbreak. We're nearing a million cases there. We'll be
right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:17:53]
GORANI: The U.S. is still in the thick of the pandemic. Ten states, ten have seen a record number of new cases this week.
Johns Hopkins reports nationwide, more than 2.1 million people have been infected since the pandemic began. Over 118,000 have died.
One state, Oklahoma, has seen a 110 percent increase in cases from last week and as we have been reporting, Tulsa is about to welcome thousands of
people at an indoor rally for President Trump on Saturday. A Trump supporter outside the rally venue explained why he thinks the country
should be open again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDALL THOM, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We need our freedom. We need our freedom to make our choices, you know? The country needs to open up, all the way.
We can't be afraid of this China virus or whatever you want to call it. I'm not afraid of it at all. And I'm so honored that President Trump wants to
do -- for us as citizens, to give us the right to be normal again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, he's not afraid of the virus, the virus is still very much around though and health experts are worried that Florida could become the
next epicenter in America.
Let's bring in CNN's Rosa Flores. He's live from a hospital in Miami where the intensive care unit is filling up -- Rosa.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, good morning.
You know, you're absolutely right. There is a lot of worry here in the state of Florida because the number of cases continue to grow. Just
yesterday, there was a record recorded of 3,207 cases, but I can tell you we have been tracking this.
Last week, we were worried about 1,000 cases a day. Then earlier this week it was 2,000 cases. Well, now, it's exceeded 3,000.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES (voice-over): Florida could be the next coronavirus epicenter in the United States, reporting 3,207 new cases Thursday, the largest single
day count since the start of the pandemic.
[10:20:01]
And hospital intensive care beds for adults here are filling up, with less than 25 percent available according to a state agency.
DR. DAVID RUBIN, DIRECTOR, POLICYLAB AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: So, now, we're seeing sort of very consistent and converging
academic type curves, not just in our predictions but also in the actual cases. Confirmed by increasing hospitalizations from Tampa to Orlando to
Miami-Dade. The numbers they're now seeing, it is easy to start doubling and lose control of the epidemic.
FLORES: Miami's mayor warning stricter numbers could be enforced if numbers keep rising.
FRANCIS SUAREZ, MIAMI MAYOR: Everything has to be on the table. It will be regrettable and very unfortunate because, obviously, it has had
catastrophic effect in our economic.
FLORES: Floridians looking to visit New York could face a mandatory 14-day quarantine, courtesy of Governor Andrew Cuomo.
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: Now the tide -- the tables have turned 180 degrees, and we're considering it for New York. We worked very
hard to get the infection rate down. I don't want to see it going back up.
FLORES: As New York City gets ready to re-enter phase two of reopening Monday, bringing back some retail shopping, playgrounds and outdoor dining,
San Diego County is pausing its reopening plan. Officials there reporting eight community outbreaks in the past week.
DR. WILMA WOOTEN, SAN DIEGO COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER: People are gathering and not using facial coverings. The way that COVID-19 is spread
is primarily through person to person contact and it's spread through droplet transmission.
FLORES: California is one of 23 states experiencing an increase in coronavirus cases. Governor Gavin Newsom issuing a statewide order
requiring face coverings in most public settings but Texas Governor Greg Abbott is refusing to make face masks mandatory across the state. Instead,
allowing local governments to decide whether businesses can require their employees and customers to use them.
SYLVESTER TURNER, HOUSTON MAYOR: We are seeing the number of hospitalizations start to go up, so we need to get on top of it.
FLORES: In Oklahoma, daily confirmed coronavirus cases increased about 110 percent since last week. And people have been lining up for days outside
this Tulsa arena waiting for President Trump's campaign rally Saturday. Masks will not be required at the event.
DR. ASHISH JHA, DIRECTOR, HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: There are three things that really make mass gatherings dangerous. Being indoors, not
wearing masks and having people close together for long periods of time. So this is pretty much the least safe way to get people together.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES: Now, Hala, just to give you a sense of what hospital systems are dealing with, I'm at Jackson Memorial. That's part of the Jackson medical
system.
And they're reporting a 46 percent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in just the last ten days -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Rosa Flores, thank you very much, live in Miami.
Well, as the U.S. case count grows, Brazil is approaching a very worrying milestone in the battle with the coronavirus, 1 million infections.
Shasta Darlington is in Sao Paulo with more on that.
One million infections, what about the hospital system? We're seeing that in some hospitals in Florida, ICU beds are filling up. What's the situation
in Brazil?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN REPORTER: Well, Hala, in some ways it's similar to the United States. It is really different from state to state, so what we
have seen is in the north and the northeast, the poorer states, the states with fewer private options, the public system is really overburdened, in
some cases, the ICU beds are over 90 percent occupied already.
And as you mentioned, the number of new cases and additional deaths, they're just piling up. You know, on average, 20,000 new cases a day, a
thousand new deaths. And that means that Brazil is already the country with the second highest number of infections and the second highest death toll
globally. And now, we are looking at very likely reaching this grim milestone of 1 million cases today.
It is affecting the country differently, depending on where -- what hospitals you have access to and where you are. And this is also not --
unfortunately the end of this story, despite the fact that the curve has not started to decrease. Several Brazilian cities have started to open up
shops, shopping malls. Offices are allowed to bring workers back in which means the buses and metro areas are filling up.
So there's already talk of a second wave, and other experts say is the extension of the first wave because we never started to decline, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Shasta Darlington, thanks very much. More than 47,000 deaths from COVID-19, certainly still very much in the first wave according
to many of the experts we've spoken to.
Now the numbers are balloons for coronavirus outbreak at a German meat processing plant. Officials now say 730 workers at the plant in
northwestern Germany have been infected.
[10:25:04]
More than 5,000 employees are being tested. The facility is know shut down temporarily.
Germany has seen outbreaks in other meat processing plants which put a spotlight on poor working conditions. And these -- we are talking about
working conditions where people are indoors. They are close to each other. If you have an outbreak, these types of numbers are not surprising.
And outside of Europe, Yemen is facing, quote, an unimaginable nightmare. Those are the words from the International Rescue Committee. The group's
country director says Yemen's health system has effectively collapsed and millions of Yemenis could be infected with COVID.
You're looking at the private hospital in Sana'a. The staff member explained that private hospitals are helping ease the burden on state-run
hospitals. With so many cases and so many potential deaths, the country has been forced to make more room for the dead.
Yemen has been mired by war, of course. So adding to the misery is COVID, but it's been mired by war since 2015 with Saudi Arabia leading a coalition
against the Houthi rebels.
Coming up, two pillars of British institution -- the church and the Bank of England are confronting their industries with the slave trade. We'll
discuss that.
Plus, China said it's making headway against the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing. However, new infections keep popping up. We'll tell you about
that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: In the United Kingdom, two major state institutions are acknowledging their ties to the slave trade. The Bank of England issued an
apology saying that even though the bank itself was not directly involved, the connections that its governors and directors had to slavery was quote,
inexcusable.
And the Church of England admitted that former clergy not only profited from it, they actually perpetuated the slave trade.
CNN's Anna Stewart is reporting for us live from London with more on these acknowledgements and the apologies -- Anna.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Hala, you mentioned both have apologized. They both also pointed to individuals within the institutions' history that
were linked to the slave trade as opposed to their institutions themselves.
Let's look at what sort of action they're taking as a result of these latest apologies and revelations. The Church of England has spoken a little
bit about the work it does to combat modern day slavery. It does work on some initiatives and looking back on history, it spoke about monuments in
many of the dioceses across the nation. This is, of course, you know, really heated topic -- monuments to people who have links to the slave
trade.
And on this, it said it is not possible to provide a single position which could apply to all circumstances. It says there has to be a dialogue with
the church, within their communities before any decision or action can be taken. But in some cases it says that monuments should be removed, albeit
legally and safely.
Moving on to the Bank of England, an institution that's over 300 years old. As you said, it doesn't have any direct links to the slave trade, but many
of the governors and directors did.
Now, it's interesting one in terms of the action from the Bank of England. They're saying they're essentially going to look at how they present their
history within the bank. They are going to review and remove in many cases photos or artwork that relate to any of these individual governors or
directors. That's the action they're taking.
We've also had apologies from high street banks in U.K., the big ones, Barclays, RBS, Lloyd's Bank as well, all very -- have very old histories.
Many will be made by most mergers and acquisitions over the years, and many do have links to the slave trade.
Plenty of apologies. Not as much action maybe as many would hope. We did see some yesterday from Greene King, a chain of pubs and Lloyd's of London.
Both of those saying that not only do they apologize for their links, but they're looking to compensate in some way, shape or form by financing some
funds for black and ethnic minority groups.
Many, of course, will still argue none of this is enough. No apology can be enough, but frankly, you know, the best thing to do would be to go back in
history and just remove this from history. But that, of course, is not possible -- Hala.
GORANI: Right. Anna Stewart, thanks very much for that.
Private British firms are also facing their pasts with the slave trade. Anna alluded to a couple of them. Lloyd's of London and pub giant Greene
King both came out with apologies today.
Professor Kehinde Andrews, a professor of black studies at Birmingham University, joins me now. He's an activist and an author of two books about
black history.
Thanks for being with us.
What do you make of these apologies from these big corporations?
KEHINDE ANDREWS, PROFESSOR OF BLACK STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Unfortunately, apologies sound a bit more like PR than something genuine. I
mean, a company like Lloyd's of London doesn't just have links to the slave trade, it was born out of the slave trade. In 18th century England, the
Lloyd's Coffeehouse was a place where you took returned runaway slaves.
I mean, so the idea that a couple generations later, you just give a really meaningless apology and donate to charity is frankly offensive.
GORANI: So, what would you rather have them do at this stage?
ANDREWS: Well, I think it's about really understanding how deep-seated these problems are, and I think the Bank of England's announcement it had
nothing to do with the slave trade is a perfect example. So, for instance, when -- in order to abolish slavery, the largest payment that a British
company have to be given to the slave owners in compensation. They loaned this from the Bank of Loan, and this loan was only paid back in 2015, which
means that me and my grandparents and all of these descendants of the enslaved actually paid the Bank of England slave owner compensation.
So, it's the deep-rooted links that cannot be -- cannot be got rid of by taking down a few pictures or having a PR -- a PR movement.
GORANI: So are you in favor of reparations and if so, how would they be calculated? How do you -- how do you decide who benefits and how the money
is allocated?
ANDREWS: So there's no real good argument against reparations. As I said, slave owner compensation was common, not just in U.K., France also, a
number of European countries. In America, there'd been a number of attempts to quantify. I think the latest one said it would be between $4 trillion
and $15 trillion.
Karakum (ph) countries and speaking of places like Jamaica and the Caribbean currently are seeking reparations and they're looking for things
like educational reform and debt relief. There are ways to do this and there are definitely models for this, so it's possible but it would mean a
kind of reparation that's uncomfortable, (AUDIO GAP) not something they can just do quickly and in a token manner.
GORANI: Do you think -- I mean, this Black Lives Matter movement, it was spark -- the spark was renewed in the U.S. after the horrific killing of
George Floyd, but this time it's really spread worldwide. The U.K., France, other parts of -- I mean, France has seen huge demonstrations as you know.
Why do you think it happened -- this is happening now? There have been police killings of black men and demonstrations in Ferguson five years ago.
It didn't spark what type of worldwide movement. Why is it happening now?
ANDREWS: I mean, indeed, I mean, 2016, I remember very clearly after we watched Philando Castile bleed out on Facebook, there were massive protests
in Europe, across the world in a similar way, the difference --
(CROSSTALK)
[10:35:04]
GORANI: Yes, but nothing like this -- nothing like this. I mean, I remember -- sorry to jump in, nothing like this. We're really talking about
-- I mean, you have corporations like Uncle Ben's rice that are finally realizing that they can't keep the graphic logo on their, you know,
microwave rice packets anymore, because they're seen as racist.
This is -- it just goes beyond what we saw after Ferguson.
ANDREWS: Yes. I think there's been a shift. I think partly cynically is that it's a -- there's a lot more news and I think people are -- you know,
we're not going about our daily lives so it's broken into the mainstream in a way. But the reason I say it's not news, we've been protesting about
these things for decades, in police brutality, racism -- these aren't new things in America or in Europe.
I guess that's why I'm a little bit cynical about things like this -- like talking Aunt Jemima off the packet or let's make a token apology. I mean,
are we having a conversation about deep seated politics. This is an uncomfortable conversation. It is a massive transfer of wealth, rethinking
about what the society looks like. And I'm just not sure that's the moment we are really in.
GORANI: Do you think that the younger generation -- I mean, I'm talking about teenagers and young people in their early 20s, the -- the white young
generation, they're joining in on some of the protests in ways I haven't seen before. I realize that protesting against police brutality is nothing
-- nothing new. But the extent to which other, you know, demographic groups have folded in now to these worldwide protests, do you think that's
encouraging or are you still cynical in the sense that this is just a surface thing and we haven't really even broached the fundamental issue?
ANDREWS: I mean, I think we might be, so if you do back to the last time it was really big like this and really multiracial is probably the '60s and
'70s across America and Europe and that was a moment where -- you know, it did make some legislation change, right? You had the civil rights changes.
You have -- you've outlawed discrimination. There's some progress in terms of black professors at the U.K. that says (AUDIO GAP).
So, you know, we do have the kind of reforms. I think what you are finding now is that people -- this young generation are realizing we had all of
these reforms, we had the great legislation, but still the problem with racism is just as bad then as it is now. So, I think that's why you're
seeing the restlessness again. Hopefully, the young generation won't accept the kind of piecemeal reforms and will demand something much more
transformative.
GORANI: Yeah. And personally for you, you have written so much about black history, about inequality, racial inequality. Has how it personally been
for you watching the demonstrations, taking in part of them, but watching what's going on in the U.S.?
ANDREWS: I mean, in some ways it's like Groundhog Day. It's not new. This is something new, always constant. It is our daily experience and then we
will protest and organize continually.
And so, in some ways it's nice it has finally broken through more to the mainstream and then at the time, when the conversation is about Lloyd's or
about the Bank of England with these token gestures or changing the picture of Aunt Jemima, it's a bit frustrating because we need to talk about real,
deep-seated inequality on both sides of the Atlantic. Black people are far more likely of dying from COVID-19.
I mean, how do you address that issue? That really is where the conversation needs to go.
GORANI: Kehinde Andrews, thanks very much for joining us. I really appreciate it.
Still ahead, the sense of normalcy went out the window as a new coronavirus outbreak hit Beijing, but China now says it's turned the corner. We'll
explore that story.
Plus, a former consulate worker said he's tortured by the Chinese secret police. He is seeking asylum in the U.K., just as China tightens its grip
on Hong Kong. We'll bring you his story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:41:00]
GORANI: Welcome back.
China is reporting 25 new coronavirus cases in Beijing and that brings the total number to more than 180 over the past eight days. The city has been
battling a new outbreak which shattered the sense of life getting back to normal.
But as David Culver reports, officials now say they're getting the upper hand in the battle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the height of China's COVID-19 outbreak, Beijing became a fortress. The central government determined to
defend the capital city against any surging cases. And even as the rest of China began easing restrictions and reopening a few months ago, Beijing
maintained many strict measures, at least until earlier this month.
We briefly noticed a life of pre-COVID-19 here. Then, another cluster of cases, this time in the capital. The focus, another market.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The outbreak in Beijing is under control.
CULVER: Six days after officials announced the first case in this latest cluster, they now claim it is under control. Drivers passing by the newly
labeled risk areas, including the Xinfadi market catch a glimpse of that containment effort. We drove by as well. We stayed inside the van so as not
to risk exposure and another quarantine.
(on camera): This is the outskirts of the market. You can see, there are some folks back there with hazmat suits on. All of this is shut off.
The reason we're not stepping out of car, actually, let's keep driving because I don't want to draw too much attention, is because if we were to
cross over into this restricted zone, we would then be potentially flagged and be put into government quarantine.
How did they know that?
A few ways, one is they could physically stop us and get our information. Another is they would see the tags of the car and they would mark that down
and track us down. And another big data that we have been living by here, they would trace you through your cell phone. And we've heard several
reports of people being flagged because of where their cell phones were located geographically within those high-risk areas and then being
contacted and told that they essentially need to be sealed off from the rest of the world.
(voice-over): Contact tracing is also done through smartphones using QR codes. As we have traveled around China in recent weeks, we've collected a
variety of different QR versions of our own. A bit tedious and a bit redundant to register for as each jurisdiction has one. A green QR is your
key to leaving and traveling within the country, quarantine free.
(on camera): Just arriving back in Beijing.
(voice-over): The contact tracing is coupled with constant temperature screening especially now, flying back into Beijing with its partial
lockdown and rising number of cases. Beijing's already tested more than 350,000 people connected to this outbreak.
But despite the government's self-proclaimed successes in getting it under control, China's health experts have warned against complacency here.
ZHONG NANSHAN, CHINA'S LEADING MEDICAL EXPERT: We are facing a big challenge. It's not the -- not better than the foreign countries.
CULVER: Dr. Zhong Nanshan, China's leading medical expert, often called the Dr. Fauci of China telling us exclusively last month that China was not
in the clear.
NANSHAN: The majority of China at the moment is still susceptible of the COVID-19 infection. It's because of lack of immunity.
CULVER: Until that immunity or a vaccine, experts warn to expect this journey back to normalcy to be interrupted by new clusters followed by a
rapid return of heavy handed containment efforts.
David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country is the target of state-sponsored hackers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Based on advice provided to me by our cyber experts, Australian organizations are currently being targeted
by a sophisticated state-based cyber actor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says he's at 95 percent sure China is behind it.
As spokesperson for China's ministry of foreign affairs has denied involvement saying China is, quote, firmly opposed to all forms of cyber
attacks, unquote.
[10:45:07]
Simon Cheng, a former British consulate staffer in Hong Kong, is seeking asylum in the U.K. He says last year he was tortured by Chinese secret
police over Hong Kong's long running pro-democracy protests, which China denies. This comes as China gets ready to roll out a controversial national
security law broadening Beijing's power over the territory.
Nic Robertson who spoke with Simon Cheng has more -- Nic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Hala, the British government's most report into Hong Kong said what happened to Simon
Cheng amounted to torture. He was working for the British consulate. He did go out to street protests in Hong Kong for personal reasons, because he
wanted to join the protests, but he also was asked by members of the British consulate to report back and tell them what he saw at the protests.
So when he arrived later on a business trip in China, he was held by Chinese authorities. He says that he was tortured. The Chinese authorities
deny that. I asked him what his experiences were. We also talked about the new national security law and its implications for people in Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON CHENG, FORMER UK CONSULATE WORKER IN HONG KONG: They asked lots of political questions. What is my role in the protests? What is the U.K.'s
role behind the protests? They hung me up, and then I had been put at -- shackled, handcuffed, and blindfolded.
ROBERTSON: Did you ever believe that something like that, as a Hong Kong citizen, could happen to you at the hands of the Chinese state authorities?
CHENG: At that time, I can't imagine. And let alone that I worked for the British consulate, and I worked on a business trip, I can't imagine that.
ROBERTSON: Did you have any regrets about that?
CHENG: I have no regrets.
ROBERTSON: Why not?
CHENG: Because at that time, I think that I -- as a Hong Kong citizens, I wanted to let the British government know about the voice of Hong Kong
people, why those protester came on the streets.
ROBERTSON: But this has completely changed your life now.
CHENG: Yes, exactly. But, I live up to the principle. I stand for democracy, so, I do believe what I did is right.
ROBERTSON: Could you go back to Hong Kong now?
CHENG: No, I can't.
ROBERTSON: Why not?
CHENG: Because previously, that was when I was let out, the prerequisite is that I had to promise that I can't and I wouldn't speak out. But, I
broke the promise, I spoke out. So, the retaliation would be that once I'm back to Hong Kong, they would secretly abduct me from Hong Kong to mainland
China, and I would not have a second chance. I do believe that if I'd detain again, I wouldn't have a second chance to go out.
ROBERTSON: You are in the U.K. now, you are trying to get asylum, what is happening?
CHENG: I've been experienced two rounds of interviews and very meticulous and rigorous, interviews. And now, I'm waiting for the results.
ROBERTSON: Do you feel that the British government, because of what they have asked you to do and the trouble they got you, and that they owe you
asylum?
CHENG: I do think that's the U.K. government need to take a kind of responsibility.
ROBERTSON: The British government is offering the holders of British national overseas passports, the possibility to come to the U.K., for an
extended period. Is that the right thing to be doing? Should all Hong Kongers, who want to leave be able to come here to the U.K., or other
countries?
CHENG: I do think, at least now, seeing Boris Johnson's administration, taking great work steps, at least it shows correct and good aptitude, and
saying that as a government, we need to protect our people. So, I do think that is a good sign.
ROBERTSON: This is going to put the British government in direct conflict, much more with China if this happens.
CHENG: I do understand that the U.K. government may be in a bit of a dilemma to get along with the Chinese government, but in the future, I do
believe that the cold war is approaching.
ROBERTSON: The cold war with China?
CHENG: Yes, exactly. A cold war will be approaching. And China, at the end of the day, gets to show their true muscles. That's going to be asserted
and stronger. They will expand.
ROBERTSON: Do you think China is beginning to show its true hand to the world about how it plans to handle Hong Kong going forward and its
international relations?
CHENG: Yes, I do believe that China now showing what actually they are. We hope that they can leave the hand from Hong Kong. Let Hong Kongers to enjoy
the autonomy, because that can protect their prosperity, and let Hong Kong flourish.
However, now, as you can see in a sense of the authoritarianism. They cannot control, they cannot self-constrain their power. Once they can see
any space they can occupy. And then they cannot -- they have lots of power and then they will expand their rules over Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So, what he's talking about there are those new national security laws and he fears that protesters in Hong Kong can no longer speak
out freely, that they too now could face detention questioning, even torture.
[10:50:11]
And that's been a subject of the conversation just in the past 24 hours between the British prime minister, the Australian prime minister, Scott
Morrison. Boris Johnson saying that what's happening under these new national security laws breaks the joint declaration between China and the
United Kingdom back in 1984.
So, big concern there, a concern about it expressed a couple of days ago that the G7 and at the E.U. It is a hot topic right now, Hala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Nic Robertson.
And CNN has reached out to China's ministry of foreign affairs and Hong Kong's department for comment and has not heard back.
The Premier League is the most popular football league on the planet and we'll build it -- and we will build the case for the league's most popular
player at the moment and now because he's scoring goals. When I say we, I mean, Patrick Snell.
He'll join us later with the "World Sport Update".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Just a couple of days ago, the return of the English Premier League was a welcome sight for millions of fans around the world and
arguably the planet's most popular football league kicks off in just a few hours, albeit without any spectators in the stadium.
Let's bring in Patrick Snell.
There's a lot to talk about, the competition, of course. And one player in particular I understand making a huge impact off the pitch, Patrick.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hala, you're absolutely right. Yes, so we make no apology whatsoever for continuing the conversation on all things
Marcus Rashford right now. Today's English Premier League fixture between Tottenham and his team Manchester United, that's a huge match-up in its own
right.
But, you know, the build-up really has been well and truly dominated by that man, Rashford, who let's be honest has become a national treasure over
there in the United Kingdom. Talk about using the platform to greater effect.
Now for perspective here, a bit of a back story. Rashford he's just 22 years of age, Hala. He plays for United, one of the biggest and most
successful clubs in the world. Already a multimillionaire, but he's never, ever, ever forgotten his past after his heartfelt and determined campaign
that we saw in the last few days, last few week, even, very publicly getting the U.K. government to extend the free meals right through the
summer break over there.
Why? It's simple. He gets it. He's well aware of his childhood struggles, all the sacrifices made by his mother Melanie and bringing him and his
other siblings up. But, you know, putting food on the table couldn't be taken for granted.
But for more perspective, he's a local Manchester lad who cares. He cares big-time, Hala. He's been with the Red Devils since 2005. Just a youngster,
64 goals for United. Ten goals as well for his country England.
A huge impact as I say. It is no wonder at all to me that as United managers both past and present have nothing but praise and plaudits for
him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLE GUNNAR, SOLSKJAER, MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER: Marcus is such a top, top human being and he's brought his own experiences as a kid into this
conversation and he's changed the lives of so many kids as you say. So, he's already been a captain of the club for -- such a young age. He's
proving all the time his human qualities which is a main attribute for a Man United player, along with his qualities as a player, of course.
[10:55:05]
JOSE MOURINHO, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER: The 18-year-old kid that I met a few years ago to be now a man and a man with principles and to fight for
kids very similar to him when he was a young kid. It's something very, very nice for Marcus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Really is. Here's something else that really resonated with me, Hala. Rashford already helping to raise some $25 million, this was to
supply millions of meals to people needing aid during the coronavirus crisis. But this is really powerful too. This puts a bow on it too, really,
because Rashford's mom, who I just mentioned there, she actually got him to join United's academy a year ahead of schedule, a year early. Why? Just to
make sure he was eating properly and healthily, Hala. Really powerful.
GORANI: I love that story. I love it.
What about elsewhere in Europe?
SNELL: Yeah, there's a lot going on. We are seeing the big five European leagues in some shape or form with one exception coming back to get going
again.
But there's one great goal that really did catch our eyes from Spain's La Liga. Real Madrid, they're trying to play catch-up with champions Barcelona
over there in Spain, and they're trying to do it in style as well.
Check this out. An amazing strike from the French forward Karim Benzema who grabbed two goals on this occasion. That's his second though, a thing of
beauty, a great thing move.
The passing and then the finish, an unstoppable volley. That was in the 3-0 victory over Valencia. He now surpasses, by the way, the legendary Frank
Putska on Real's all-time scoring list.
It just flies into the back of it, no keeper anywhere is actually going to say that one, Hala, really a special striker. I do want to just tease ahead
as we say, because we're focusing on Liverpool getting back to the Premier League and their quest for a first-ever premier league title. A first top
flight title in 30 long years, if you're a Reds fan.
The question is when will they do it, which is the exact day? We'll try to break it down for you. For now, though, it's back to you.
GORANI: All right, thanks very much, Patrick. We'll see you next hour.
And I will see you next hour in a few minutes. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome to another hour of coverage. I'm Hala Gorani.
Coming up, many Americans will be out marching for Juneteenth today.
[11:00:00]
END
