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Global COVID Cases Top 10 Million; Growing List Of Companies Pull Facebook Ads; South Florida Beaches To Close Over July 4th Weekend. Aired 10:00-11a ET
Aired June 29, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:42]
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome everybody. You're watching CNN. I'm Hala Gorani in London. This hour the world hits 10 million coronavirus
cases. 31 U.S. states are on the rise and half way around the world 400,000 people go back under lockdown in China. We have live coverage from around
the globe.
Then, more and more companies are pulling advertising off of Facebook. Will they pressure the social media giants to handle hate speech differently?
And later the White House in damage control mode after President Trump retweets a video of a man chanting white power.
The number of global coronavirus cases has topped 10 million and more than half a million people have died of COVID-19. One out of every four of those
deaths has been in the United States. And these maps show how much of the U.S. is going in the wrong direction. On the right the level of increases
or decreases in cases in the 50 states from just after the Memorial Day holiday in late May.
On the left the numbers from this past week. You can see all the red. 31 states are now reporting and an increase in new cases from the week before.
Randi Kaye looks at this disturbing trend which experts warn will only get worse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A dire warning from one Trump cabinet member.
ALEX AZAR, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: The window is closing for us to take action and get this under control.
KAYE: As 31 states report an increase in new coronavirus cases over the last week, like here in Florida. The state reporting more than 8,500 new
cases Sunday, after reporting a record high Saturday of more than 9,500 cases.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blaming recent increases on a, "Test dump," a backlog of tests that all came through at the same time. A former CDC
director discounted testing as the source of most increases.
THOMAS FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that in most states, where you're seeing an increase, it is a
real increase. It is not more tests. It is more spread of the virus.
KAYE: DeSantis conceding that there is reason for concern, particularly in the demographics of the uptick of confirmed cases.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): That positivity increase is really being driven by a big increase over the last three weeks in individuals testing positive
throughout the State of Florida in younger age groups, particularly 18 to 44.
KAYE: The numbers forcing DeSantis to hit pause on the state's reopening plan, closing bars throughout the state. And even with no state order,
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties planning to have all beaches closed for the July 4th holiday weekend.
MAYOR DAVE KERNER (D), PALM BEACH COUNTY: It is an unfortunate result, but public health remains focus of the elected leaders of Palm Beach County.
And, you know, unfortunately, this fourth of July will not be spent at the beach.
KAYE: In Texas, cases are still surging, with a positivity rate increasing to more than 13 percent in recent days, according to John Hopkins
University.
Vice President Mike Pence now urging people to wear face masks after weeks of saying concerns over the sudden surge were overblown.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Wear a mask wherever it's indicated or wherever you're not able to practice the kind of social
distancing that would prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
KAYE: At a church event in Texas with more than 2,000 people attending, Pence watched with a mask on, as a 100-person choir sang with no face
coverings, only putting on masks when they were seated.
The CDC has warned choir singing could be a super spreader event, highlighting a march choir practice in Washington, where just one
symptomatic person led to 87 percent of the singers getting infected.
Republican Senator Lamar Alexander stressing the importance of masks, arguing President Trump could be the key to convincing more people to wear
them.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): I wish the president would wear a mask when it's appropriate. Because millions of Americans admire him. And they would
follow his lead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Again, you heard there, the vice president urging Texans to wear face masks that is a markedly different tone. And then he took on Friday when he
said pretty much that the country has flattened the curve.
[10:05:05]
KAYE: Still in the coming days the vice president will be visiting more states who are seeing surges in in cases including Arizona, and here in
Florida. Hala, back to you.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Randi Kaye. You can see in the U.S. wearing a mask or not wearing a mask has become a political issue less so
in Europe. But there are still so many open questions. E.U. representatives have been meeting in Brussels to discuss lifting coronavirus travel
restrictions. Very important to get parts of the economy going. They are crafting a list of approved countries for travel into the European Union.
The United States is expected to be excluded so you'd have a U.S. passport. Most likely if this go through -- goes through you will not be able
temporarily to travel to the E.U. Once the final list is approved by member states it will be formally presented. CNN has learned there are 15
countries on the list. Nothing is official yet, we're still waiting. People from countries that made the cut will be allowed in starting Wednesday.
People from countries that have not made the cut will have to sit it out for a while if they want to come to the E.U. Fred PLeitgen is standing by
in Brussels, Belgium just outside the E.U. ambassador's meeting. So that is, you know, the -- well, the big one would be the U.S., right? If U.S.
citizens are excluded, what form might that take if there's a temporary exclusion against U.S. citizens coming into the E.U.?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it would simply mean that the U.S. wouldn't be on that list of 15 countries that is
now being talked about. As you said, in the member states on a ministerial level. So in other words, the European Council has decided, yes, we're OK
with this list of 15 countries. Again, we don't know which countries are on that list. And now every member state for itself is going to decide whether
or not they are OK with that list.
You're talking about different ministries in these countries. The health ministry, of course, will be part of that, the foreign ministry is the
interior ministries as well because one of the things, Hala, we always have to point out is that The European Union cannot make a decision for all
these member states. They each decide as citizens of which countries they would let in a to their own country.
But of course, the E.U. wants to have a common approach to this. So, all these member states are going to be looking at this list and then most
probably, we believe signing off on it. But of course, this this could have very big repercussions if indeed the U.S. is not on that list. And that's
exactly what it's looking like right now. And the European Union has always said that all of this comes down to science.
All of this comes down to the coronavirus situation in the countries of origin of people who want to travel to the European Union. And they say by
and large, essentially, it's the amount of people who have coronavirus per 100,000 residents of these countries, but they say the situation has to be
either better or the same as the average of the European Union. Of course, what we're seeing from the U.S., that's simply is what's happening there
right now, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thanks very much live in Brussels. We'll wait to hear official word so many people watching us around the world very
eager to learn whether or not they can fly into the E.U., what countries are on that list.
Now as far as China is concerned, the government there has told 400,000 people near Beijing to stay in their homes and it comes after a cluster of
coronavirus cases was discovered in Hebei province. The area is sparsely populated but health officials say the situation is serious nonetheless.
David Culver joins us live from Beijing with the details. Tell us more about this lockdown in this new lockdown in China, David.
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Hala, this is really reminiscent of what we saw now more than five months ago take effect in
Wuhan. And we were there with the original epicenter went on lockdown and folks eventually were sealed inside their homes. A similar scenario playing
out here about 90 miles from where we are here in Beijing, the capital city. And this is -- and as you point out a more sparsely populated area.
It's kind of a rural setting. It's Yanshan County, it's within Hebei province. It's got 400,000 people and all villages, all communities shut
down. The perimeter is not to be breached by any outside vehicles. So those that are not locally registered, if you will, they are letting people once
a day choose one person from the household to leave to go to basic grocery shopping in necessity purchases.
But aside from that, this is what we saw just several months ago in Wuhan and what also took effect in other parts of the country over the past few
months as these hotspots and cluster outbreaks would come into fruition. And so what they're now hoping is that this will be in place for as long as
necessary and that they can then put this one out and then resume life again. But it's something similar to what we saw even compartmentalized
here in Beijing over the past couple of weeks as we saw that, yet again, another wholesale food market be the source of what they believe to have
been that most recent outbreak here in the capital city, Hala.
GORANI: And how long will this all last? Because the impact on the Chinese economy is brutal right now.
[10:10:05]
GORANI: I mean, we're looking at potentially one percent growth for China, which is unheard of in many decades.
CULVER: Devastating for the economy. You're absolutely right. So with this, cannot linger more than it has to. And so that has been stressed by
officials here. I mean, even going back to the original lockdown, I mean, that was something that President Xi Jinping himself said. He stressed two
things, containing the virus and stabilizing the economy. So it is crucial that they do that.
What's interesting is what you see in this most recent lockdown and entering county is not what happened here in Beijing over the past two
weeks. There, they have locked down that entire region essentially, the 100,000 people. Here, you can out -- you really go on the outskirts of some
of these compartmentalize lockdowns and life continues as mostly as normal as possible.
And that's intentional, because even though there is a threat that some of these cases could have contact with individuals outside of those high risk
areas, they still know that they need to keep the city up and going. They cannot do another massive lockdown because that would just crush the
economy, Hala.
GORANI: Right. I think this is our future localized shutdowns. We're seeing localized shutdowns in parts of Europe and parts of the U.K.
CULVER: I guess you're right.
GORANI: Thanks very much for that. David Culver, yeah, live in Beijing. We'll speak soon. Now to the growing list of companies pulling ads from
social media. Starbucks is one of the latest but it stopped short of joining the #StopHateForProfit campaign organized by civil rights groups.
It's a campaign that urges companies to stop advertising on Facebook for the month of July. But as the sixth largest advertiser on Facebook, the
move is still expected to make a dent.
The amount of money that Starbucks spends on ad dollars on Facebook is a very high, almost $100 million. So what does Facebook stand to lose from
this boycott? CNN's Richard Quest joins me now from New York with more. It's not just Starbucks, it's Unilever, Verizon, REI. What's the ad money
here, total ad money that we're talking about?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: We're in the hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, but Facebook's revenue is some 68,
$69 billion. And most of that comes from small and medium-sized businesses, not the very large ones. And I think that's possibly one of the reasons we
saw Facebook put out a long memo, in which they went through various details of their policies and their anti-hate policies.
But underneath it all, there was a -- I don't want to use the word threat, but there was a reminder that from a senior executive that Facebook does
not change its policies on the back of boycotts. They've been here before Facebook. Now, to be sure how this is marginally different in that the
number of large companies is growing and the more of the Unilever's, Coca- Cola's, Verizon's, Bank of America's, you get, they create a very large umbrella for other people to shelter and join us well.
But Facebook is saying somewhat arrogantly they would -- some would argue, look, we know we may have to do more. Zuckerberg said we're going to do
more, but we are not going to buckle under the weight of money of boycotts, which we think won't really last anyway.
GORANI: So why is Twitter for instance, taking a different approach? Why is Facebook the holdout here?
QUEST: Well, Facebook's caught up on its own limb here. It's sort of taken the view. Zuckerberg has taken the view that there's a first amendment
issue here, that the platform has to have a broad church of opinion. And that also involves pushing a boundary as to what is acceptable, if you're
the, you know, his view is if you're the town square, there has to be people who object to what you're saying. However, that's not the view that
Twitter has taken.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: But I guess, Richard, it's not -- it's not whether or not you have a different -- it's not just a different opinion. I mean, these are
conspiracy theories, they're straight out lies, there is hate speech. You know, we're not here talking about having a civilized debate. Some of this
stuff is by the standards of some people on unacceptable hate speech.
QUEST: And the problem Facebook has is managing that and they are constantly behind the curve in -- I mean, if you remember a few -- a few
years ago, or few months ago they put in place tens of thousands of monitors.
[10:15:04]
QUEST: But that took them ages as a policy to get right and get in place. Now they've got to formulate their policy with this hate speech, whilst at
the same time not alienating others, they are in exceptionally difficult waters here. But interestingly, Hala, probably economically until there's a
boycott of users. And that has not happened in any significant sense, while the advertisers will eventually come back. I'm not being cynical. I'm being
-- it's not being skeptical.
I'm being realistic here. The advertisers will come back because that's where the people are by the billions.
GORANI: All right. We're going to talk more about this with Brian Stelter later as sort of the notion that Facebook is a content provider now and
it's taken a clear position on what it plans to do or not to do with its content. We'll see you on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" a little bit later,
Richard. Thanks very much.
And coming up, it may seem like a remnant of the Cold War but reports of surface that Russia has put a price on the head of American troops in
Afghanistan. The U.S. president says he wasn't briefed on it.
Plus, a deadly shooting in Karachi's financial hub. The latest from Pakistan. We are live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: At least five people are dead after an attack on Pakistan's largest stock exchange. Four gunmen threw a grenade at the entrance of the building
in Karachi's financial hub. Then they started firing. Authorities say policemen and security officials are among those who were killed. A
Pakistani separatist group is claiming responsibility for the attack. CNN's Sophia Saifi is live in Islamabad with more on what happened. Sophia?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Hala, this actually happened at about two 10:00 a.m. Monday morning today. There was, as you said, an attempt by for
militants to basically enter the Karachi Stock Exchange on I. I. Chundrigar which is based -- I. I. Chundrigar Road which is basically the financial
hub of Pakistan of Karachi, the biggest City of Pakistan. It's basically the wall street of the city -- of the city and it's a very symbolic target
for these militants.
The BLA, the Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack. Now the Pakistani paramilitary rangers have confirmed that the BLA
has confirmed responsibility -- has claimed responsibility for this attack. However, they haven't said that they haven't completed their investigation
confirming that it is the BLA that carried out the attack. Now if it was the BLA, it's a separatist group based out of the province of Balochistan,
bordering Iran. And it is known to have to target financial institutions.
[10:20:00]
SAIFI: It's known to have a problem for the past few decades with the state for exploiting the province of Balochistan for its minerals. It's attacked
many Chinese projects in the -- in the province of Balochistan including the Chinese Embassy, for example, in Karachi, which was the last major
attack, a very similar attack that took place in 2018. But gunmen threw grenades and tried to storm into the blending. That was thwarted then as
well.
The American -- the American government had designated the BLA terrorist organization just last summer in July 2019. Now we're waiting to see there
have been insinuations by the Pakistani military that this could be a foreign handed all of this, they're kind of -- they've said on the record
that this could be related to the Indian intelligence. So according to them, they could be a bigger game at play with this attack that took place
this morning.
We've seen five people dead, like you said, including security personnel and policemen, however, within an hour, the attack was thwarted, and it
remains to be seen what the actual report is going to come out of the ongoing investigation into the attack. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Thank you so much for that report. U.S. President Donald Trump calls reports of a bounty being put on American troops in
Afghanistan, "Not credible" and he says that's why he was never briefed on it. European intelligence source tells CNN Russia offered those bounties to
Taliban militants. The Washington Post reports they may have caused the deaths of multiple U.S. troops.
Now for his part. Mr. Trump tweets, the story may have been a hoax by Russia or by the New York Times to make Republicans look bad. Now the White
House says Congress will be briefed on the situation. So what is what? Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from London with a closer look. What do we know
about these reports that Russia was essentially paying the Taliban to target American troops in Afghanistan?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, there's a lot of different swirling claims and counterclaims. The heart of
this, though, is one fairly solid allegation made by multiple officials on this side of the Atlantic and the other. On Saturday, I spoke to a European
intelligence official who said that's Russian military intelligence, the GRU were offering cash rewards to the Taliban to kill American or other
coalition soldiers.
In fact, those cash rewards they had assessed -- had resulted in coalition casualties. I wasn't clear if that involved deaths or which nationality it
indeed involved. Then talking to our colleagues stateside, U.S. officials familiar with the same intelligence did agree that such a scheme had been
organized and possibly even resulted in cash payments. But these reports have begun to emerge in February or March.
And in fact, those U.S. officials said that although that intelligence was still being verified, they weren't 100 percent it seemed sure about it. The
European intelligence official I spoke to did seem slightly more clear about what it had resulted in and caught it callous, shocking and
bewildering, frankly, the Russian motivation in establishing this. The confusing bit here to some maybe is the White House reaction.
The press secretary didn't dispute the reports about the intelligence suggesting this Russian plot was afoot, but instead took issue with one
part of the New York Times who broke the stories report suggesting that President Donald Trump had been briefed on this intelligence. Fast forward
a few days and Donald Trump not only casts doubt on the report of the intelligence -- of the plot to attack Americans in Afghanistan itself.
He also suggests that perhaps it wasn't strong enough for him to even have been briefed on it in the first place. So, a lot of things moving here the
whole time. I have to say, it's startling to imagine that there has been a Russian military intelligence plot potentially ended in American deaths in
Afghanistan or America's longest war that is currently the subject of a U.S.-Taliban flurry of peace negotiations underway as we speak stalled over
a prisoner exchange.
Secondary to it's also deeply confusing that the White House latches on to the issue of its own processes who briefed what who, when, and where,
rather than seems to be more perturbed by the strength of the allegation itself. A startling few days of claim and counterclaim. But one thing that
seems pretty clear to most officials we've spoken to that there is -- what's this Russian plot.
Russia itself calls it a hoax and the lie and points of Donald Trump's own uncertainties as to a reason why few people shouldn't really be believing
this. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks very much. Now he was believed to be so popular on the right in France. And he could have been -- he could
have been France's next president. But instead the Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon and his wife have been found guilty of embezzling public
funds.
[10:25:06]
GORANI: A French court sentenced Fillon to five years in prison. Three of them suspended. He also received a fine of more than $400,000 and a 10-year
ban on running for elections. His wife received a suspended sentence and the same fine as her husband. The judgment concluded that Fillon paid his
wife and children from the public payroll to do fictitious work. Little or no work at all.
The couple's lawyer says they will appeal the decision but this is a very startling fall from grace for Francois Fillon, former prime minister of
France sentenced to hard prison time.
We have some breaking news from the U.S. Supreme Court. The High Court has blocked a controversial abortion law in Louisiana that critics say would
have closed in nearly every abortion clinic in the state. The ruling is a win for supporters of abortion rights who argued that the law in Louisiana
was not medically necessary and is a veiled attempt to restrict abortion. Once again the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts in a
crucial ruling sided with the liberals in this particular decision.
John Roberts really emerging as a swing vote figure in the Supreme Court of the United States. Ahead on CNN, the U.K. government says it may be
necessary to put the city of Leicester back under lockdown. The desperate measures officials are taking to control a surge in COVID-19.
And we look at how small businesses in Mexico are struggling to make it through the coronavirus pandemic and why many of them will not survive? We
have a report from Mexico City coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: To Latin America now where Mexico is seeing a huge spike in cases. More than 4000 new infections on Sunday alone. That says businesses in
Mexico City reopen today. Matt Rivers reports though not all of them will survive the shutdown.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lines out the door usually mean a business is thriving, except this one. The A Traves Del Espejo
Bookstore in Mexico City is dying. Owner Selva Hernandez says, the truth is we're really sad.
Her mom first opened the shop back in '95 and for 25 years, it survived earthquakes and recessions and Amazon Kindles, but the pandemic proved too
much, and the government shut down the economy.
It's a bookstore, she says. We don't make a lot of money normally then we had to close, which means we couldn't pay rent, so the owner asked us to
leave.
Her story is as tragic as anything you'd find on her shelves, but amongst small business in this city, it is a familiar narrative.
[10:30:04]
RIVERS: One local chamber of commerce estimates of the roughly 400,000 small businesses here, some 40 percent won't survive, forcing more than one
million people out of a job.
A short walk from the bookstore, keeping people employed and the neighborhood well-fed has turned into a mantra of sorts at Expendio de
Maiz. They've managed to stay open during the crisis, just. Chef Ana Gonzalez says, I see so many places closed and I just feel fortune I still
have work right now. Sales are way down and they've all taken big pay cuts. And even as the economy is starting to reopen, they're not sure what that
looks like.
Day by day, people have less money, says co-owner, Jesus Tornes. Even if they open everything, if there is no demand, it won't matter. This year is
rough. But they know it's rough for everyone and good food helps. So, they're determined to try and see it through.
A good book can also help, which is why Selva slashed prices and invited people in one last time. She says the closing doesn't feel real. I am happy
to see so many people coming to say goodbye, she says. It's a nice tribute because my mom loved for books to be cheap and accessible to everyone.
Her mom's chosen name for the shop, A Traves Del Espejo, means through the looking glass, a literary reference to an imagined world. It's an apt name
these days with the real world so different than it was before.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Back to our breaking news from the U.S. Supreme Court. The High Court in America has blocked a controversial abortion law in Louisiana that
critics say would have closed nearly every abortion clinic in the state. Ruling is a win for supporters of abortion rights who argued that this law
was not medically necessary and that in fact, it was devised simply as a way to restrict access to abortion.
The Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberals on the court in this decision, there was a similar ruling that came down that arose from a State
in Texas. CNN's Jessica Schneider is outside the Supreme Court and joins us now live. So this was a five to four decision with John Robert siding with
the liberal justices, Jessica.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It was, Hala, and this is the third time in the past two weeks that the Chief Justice has sided with the
liberals. We saw it twice last week. One case in which Neil Gorsuch a conservative also sided with the liberals and wrote the opinion and then
another last week involving DACA. But this is the third time that the Chief Justice has sided with the liberals in this case, blocking a controversial
Louisiana abortion law.
And this is significant, not only because the Chief Justice has joined with the liberals, but this is the first time that the Chief Justice has voted
against an abortion restriction at all. It was back in 2016, that he actually dissented in the case that struck down a very similar Texas law.
But here, the judge -- the Chief Justice saying that because this Louisiana abortion law was so similar to that Texas law that was struck down just
about four years ago, he had to vote with the liberals.
This was Louisiana law that would have made it mandatory for doctors in these abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30
miles. And the challengers in this case said that that would effectively only allow one doctor in the entire state able to perform abortions, it
would have shut down at least two of the three remaining abortion clinics. So this would have severely restricted the rights and the ability of women
to seek and obtain abortions.
And that's exactly what the majority in this case wrote. They said that there were substantial obstacles in the path of women seeking abortions as
a result of this Louisiana law and becoming The Texas decision that extremely similar law in 2016, they had to also strike this Louisiana case
-- this Louisiana law down. The Chief Justice, he joined the majority. But he also wrote his own opinion, saying that because of the Supreme Court
decision in 2016, he had no choice but to also rule that this law should be blocked.
You know, it was something that the Chief Justice seemed to struggle with at oral argument, saying, but wait, if we struck down a similar law in
2016, how could we let this Louisiana law go forward? He played with different possibilities, saying that maybe the restrictions and the
consequences could vary state to state and that might allow this Louisiana law to be upheld. But in the end, the Chief Justice just couldn't reconcile
that just four years ago, the Supreme Court had struck down a very similar law out of Texas today, the Chief Justice saying yes, we must also block
this Louisiana abortion laws out of -- out of Louisiana.
[10:35:02]
SCHNEIDER: So, Hala, a significant moment for abortion rights advocates definitely a blow to the evangelical base that the President has counted
on. This is really the third time in a matter of two weeks, that the Trump base may feel unease because of the fact that some of these conservative
justices have sided with the liberals. You know, the Chief Justice here ever since the retirement of Anthony Kennedy he has moved more toward the
center.
And in this case, to boot in addition to the ones we saw last week, he is doing just that siding with the liberals here to block this abortion law,
it has not gone into effect, and now it will not. Hala?
GORANI: And what's going on around you? Because I can hear one person speaking through a bullhorn, there seems to be a lot of activity. Iis it
related to the ruling in this case?
SCHNEIDER: It is. So the crowd or the few people who have gathered out here outside the step they have largely dissipated. They had been here for the
past few days as we awaited this opinion. But as soon as this came down, they had been chanting before this opinion came down. And then as soon as
it came down, they really stopped and started dissipating here. Obviously, this is a blow to them and to other people who really were looking for this
court with its conservative majority now to really hold in place some of these abortion restrictions.
And instead, it's been just the opposite. The Chief Justice here saying that we cannot allow this law to stand. Definitely a blow to a huge chunk
of the President's base and really what has been the third strike over the past two weeks, and definitely a blow for the Trump administration as well.
Hala?
GORANI: All right, Jessica Schneider. Thanks very much live outside the U.S. Supreme Court. Florida, we've been talking a lot about these U.S.
states that are seeing surges in coronavirus cases. Well, Florida is reporting more than eight thousand new infections and it hit a new daily
high over the weekend. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich reports that the spike is creating new fears for the state's economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It's a cruise ship parking lot at the Port of Miami, ships idling, waiting to take the
seas, which leaves Ana Castillo waiting for customers.
ANA CASTILLO, OWNER, SAFE CRUISE PARKING: It's very, very weird to see how empty it is.
YURKEVICH: COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on Florida's biggest money-maker, tourism. It's crushed businesses like Castillo's. She shut down Safe Cruise
Parking in March, and plans to reopen in September when cruises start again. But a surge in coronavirus cases in the state has her worried.
CASTILLO: I do think that people are going to look at Florida as like, the new, you know, epicenter and probably even be more scared to travel here.
So it is -- yes, it is concerning.
YURKEVICH: It's a concern for agriculture here too, the state's second- largest industry. In just two months, farmers lost nearly $900 million in revenue during peak harvest season. And as they're planning for the next
season's crop, another shutdown would be devastating.
GENE MCAVOY, VEGETABLE SPECIALIST, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: So if we see a spike that, you know, starts closing things down in October and November,
it's going to be bad.
YURKEVICH: Florida's construction industry, which took a hit, is also on edge.
FRANK D'ANGELO, COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, FLORIDA CARPENTERS REGIONAL COUNCIL: The spike is here. How bad that spike's going to be, we don't
know. The best we can do is try to keep our members working.
YURKEVICH: Construction jobs were hardest hit in Fort Lauderdale, dropping 10 percent in April from the year before.
D'ANGELO: They definitely want to get back to work. Unemployment in Florida, it's relatively low compared to the rest of the country. Even with
the Federal stimulus and $600 a week, it still doesn't make up the delta they need to provide for their families.
YURKEVICH: Two-point-five million Floridians applied for unemployment since March, many still waiting for checks, including one of Castillo's
employees. She had to lay off all 15.
CASTILLO: I can't give these people jobs. You know, these people have been unemployed since March, and I don't know how much longer it'll be.
YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Miami, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, in England in Leicester, that city may become the first in the U.K. to enter a so called local lockdown following a concentrated flare
up of COVID-19 in the area. 29 percent of nearly 3000 cases in the city emerged in the two weeks leading up to June 23. Prime Minister Boris
Johnson has been easing social distancing restrictions across the U.K. to try to get the economy moving. But he admits he's concerned about what's
going on in Leicester.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We are concerned about Leicester, we're concerned about any local outbreak and I want to stress to people
that, you know, we are not out of the woods yet.
[10:40:12]
JOHNSON: It's very important here, we're making these cautious, calibrated steps were openly as much of hospitality as we can on July the fourth,
maybe as much of the economy as we can. Some things last, still remain, you know, closed until they can become
COVID secure, but to make all that possible, we have to be -- we have to remain vigilant. We have to continue to do the basics, washing our hands on
all that.
Plus, we need to have local lockdowns and local whack-a-mole strategies why that's necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Boris Johnson they're wearing a hard hat and a high vest jacket while visiting a construction site. Coming up. Donald Trump Stokes racial
tensions yet again by thanking a supporter promoting white supremacy in a video. We're alive in Washington as the White House goes on the defensive.
And later the list of companies pulling Facebook ads keeps growing, but will it make a difference? We'll take a look, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: On top of dealing with a raging pandemic, the White House is trying to defend Donald Trump over an offensive tweet he posted Sunday. The
President retweeted this video of anti and pro Trump protesters arguing with each other in a retirement community in Florida. And then in a golf
cart has heard yelling white power as he drives by. In the tweet Mr. Trump also thanks to the great people shown in the video before deleting the
post.
That's not something that President usually does, but in this case he did. Let's bring in Stephen Collinson who's alive in Washington. So, the Trump
team says the President didn't realize the man was screaming white power. So for anyone watching the video, it was really clearly unmistakably
audible. But that's what his team is saying, Stephen.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, Hala. This wouldn't be the first time by any means where the president had -- he did something
with racially offensive conduct. So you can take the White House's denial, perhaps with a pinch of salt, even if the President didn't see the person
chanting white power. It raises the question of why the President of the United States the most powerful man in the world, who has a role as the
country's Secretary of State is retweeting things he hasn't even watched.
Of course, there's a huge risk involved in that in many areas, not just in politics. I think it gets to the wider point, however, that the President
is trying to create a sense of unease and unrest with his law and order campaign among Americans and broader than that, it shows that during this
weekend in which the pandemic was setting up record, infection rates in big states like Texas and Florida.
[10:45:08]
COLLINSON: The President was completely disengaged on the biggest crisis facing the country and was more concerned with his own political
obsessions.
GORANI: And he also retweeted the story of that -- of that white couple in St. Louis standing on their porch, waving weapons, or showing, displaying
their weapons. I just -- many of our viewers will have seen this online. But this happened over the weekend. And these Black Lives Matter protesters
and demonstrators were walking through this area, and a husband and wife as you can see there showing off -- in the face of the husband pretty heavy
weaponry.
And the President tweeted the story about this couple. Why is he doing this? What's his --what's he trying to achieve?
COLLINSON: Well, his campaign isn't against Joe Biden. The election is just about four months from now, the President has clearly decided that way to
win reelection is to create an atmosphere of fear and danger for white Americans. He believes that his base supporters and more Americans and that
perhaps in the suburbs will respond to this idea that America's cities are under siege from radical leftist elements with which is trying to tie Joe
Biden.
What he's -- what he's trying to do here is to play into a fear that white American culture is under threat. He always used the word -- uses the word
heritage when he's talking about statues of Civil War generals, the Confederate flag. He's trying to play into that idea that out -- outside
forces and non-white forces are threatening the culture and the history of white Americans.
Whether that in a time of national reckoning over race is a smart political strategy. It seems a little unclear if you look at the polls, he's losing
in all of the polls. But the President is convinced even more than many of his own campaign advisors, that this is a smart way to try and win
reelection against Joe Biden. Biden, of course, is accusing Trump of race baiting, of dividing Americans and portraying himself as the kind of man
that can unite the country after this really turbulent period during the Trump presidency.
GORANI: All right. Stephen Collinson, thanks very much. Now, Mr. Trump is not the only one under fire for his social media though I want to return to
the growing list of companies pulling ads from Facebook. They're boycotting Facebook for the month of July for not managing they say hateful content
despite a new list of policies. Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter is in New York and this is the #StopHateForProfit campaign for the month of
July.
What impact is this having on Facebook itself? I mean it is hurting it in terms of its ad revenue. But will it put pressure on the company to change
its ways with regards to some of the content that protesters are unhappy with?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think it definitely is putting pressure on Facebook. You know, you look at the company's stock has
been dragged down in recent days. This is a sign that Wall Street's paying attention, Corporate America is paying attention. More than 100
advertisers. Some pretty large -- some rather small, have pulled their ads for the time being.
Or some of these companies just trying to get positive publicity, probably, that probably has nothing to do with this. But this is also a real issue
for Facebook and other social media companies like YouTube, because all these companies depend on advertising revenue. And if advertisers are
afraid or uncomfortable putting their messages next to videos, then the whole business starts to crumble.
Facebook, took a few steps on Friday announced a few changes trying to mollify advertisers. But now there were organizers of this campaign,
including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League are out with a 10 lists -- a 10-item bullet point list of what else they want to see Facebook do.
They say the company is not doing nearly enough to extinguish hate on the platform. When they say hate, they mean the worst kinds of terrorism and
posts like that, as well as racism, xenophobia.
All of these kinds of ugly and divisive messages that are crawling all over Facebook, basically in the shadows of these social networking sites.
GORANI: And Zuckerberg wrote in an op-ed for USA Today about the company's commitment to preserving free speech. I mean, they've basically taken a
very clear position on why they are not necessarily curating or editing. What appears on their platform, free expression is part of the messy
process of democracy writes Zuckerberg. Also the dollar figure here associated with this temporary boycott is still a very small percentage of
the total ad revenue for Facebook.
[10:50:08]
GORANI: So how much can we expect to see a change?
STELTER: Right. And the company won't say how much is actually hitting the bottom line. But if you add up all the companies that have temporarily
paused or halted their ads, it is -- it is a minority of companies. It is not a, you know, this is not devastating for Facebook today. But it is
significant. It is significant and it can add up because every day more companies sign up for this boycott.
Patreon today, being the one of the most recent ones to join this campaign. I think for Facebook, this is -- this is, you know, getting into the
foundation of their house. So they're paying very close attention to this. I interview of -- interview this Facebook's spokesman over the weekend who
said we have zero tolerance for hate speech on the platform. He says the algorithms are getting better at stamping out hate speech.
But he said look, yes, zero tolerance does not mean zero occurrence. Yes, there are going to be nasty, ugly criminal things posted on this platform
because there's more many more than a billion users on it every day. He says the challenge is getting the technology up to speed to monitor all of
it. What critics say in response is, this is not just a technological problem, humans need to be involved in managing this stuff.
And there are so many sewers, so many dark corners of Facebook, especially in private groups, where there is hate and division being sewn. I think
there's also a tension, Hala, but, you know, what is hate versus divisive speech, right? One person's funny meme can be another person's example of
hate speech. And there is that tension that Facebook is struggling with, they have no clear or good answers to questions about that.
But they do say in a significant change for Facebook, certain posts that are published by President Trump or other world leaders that would normally
be taken down if you were me posted them. They will stay up on Facebook, but now with a flag, with a warning that says the content is controversial.
Is that just a baby step? Yes, but it is a step by Facebook. They were unwilling to take last week and I think this pressure from advertisers is
having an impact even if the impacts are relatively minor.
GORANI: OK. Thanks as always, Brian Stelter, the host of "RELIABLE SOURCES." Our chief media correspondent joining us live from New York. At
the intersection of COVID and football the coach -- the Liverpool coach had some strong words for some supporters who took to the streets and ignored
coronavirus restrictions coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, fans across Liverpool are ecstatic after their team finally clinched the Premier League title, but their manager is not very happy with
them. Don Riddell tells us why. Hi, Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Hala. Thanks very much. You know, these are heady times in Liverpool where football fans have, as you
say, spent the last few days celebrating the Reds first ever Premier League title. Despite the threat of the coronavirus many supporters have been
making merry in public places. At times though, the fun has got out of hand notably here on Friday night, when supporters were filmed irresponsibly
launching fireworks.
And the club is now actively discouraging such scenes that Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp neocon club has written an open letter to the fans in
the Liverpool Echo newspaper explaining why there cannot be a parade in the city and urging them to now put their community first.
Club wrote, what I did not love and I have to say this was the scenes that took place at the pier head on Friday. I'm a human being and your passion
is also my passion.
[10:55:09]
RIDDELL: But right now the most important thing is that we do not have these kind of public gatherings. We owe it to the most vulnerable in our
community, to the health workers who have given so much and whom we have applauded, and to the police and local authorities who helped us as a club
not to do this. Please celebrate but celebrate in a safe way and in private settings, whereby we do not risk spreading this awful disease further in
our community.
Well, many domestic titles have now been wrapped up around Europe, there is still plenty of action to look forward to over the next few weeks. The
German Bundesliga was the first to return after the lockdown by a minute clinched the title, and their season is now over. It's done. In France, the
league never returned. Paris Saint-German were declared champions. In Spain, La Liga has been running since June the 11th.
Real Madrid are now of the table. The premier league in England didn't return until June 17th. That's the reason Liverpool are already champions
is because they had such a massive lead over their rivals. And Italy said they are came back on June 20th where you Juventus remain top of the table.
We show you an incredible piece of action from Sunday, it's from Real Madrid wit at Espanyol. It was crucial too, making the most of Barcelona's
defeat on Saturday.
Meaning Real are now two points ahead of them most bitter rivals. Casemiro scored the goal but it was Karim Benzema that took all the applause with
his audacious back healed assist. Look at that. Football pundits quickly describe that as one of the best success that you will ever see as Benzema
definitely not make this marker in the most unusual way. The past for served up to Casemiro on a platter.
Madrid are chasing their first domestic title since 2017. And as you can see, there are now two points clear of buzzer and in this league there are
only six games now left to play. England's F.A. Cup resumed over the weekend. It's one of the oldest football competitions in the world but in
recent years that has lost some of its allure. But the organizers will be thrilled with the semi-final lineup. It's four of the biggest teams in the
country.
Manchester City quickly made up for their disappointment in surrendering the Premier League title on Thursday by beating Newcastle to nil in their
quarterfinal match. A penalty from Kevin De Bruyne and then a second half strike from Raheem Sterling carried them through to the semies. I've said
here on course to defend the trophy they won last season.
It's been a really good week for Chelsea they're through with a win against Leicester City. Just the one goal in it coming from Ross Barkley just after
the hour mark. The Blues hoping to win the trophy they lost lifted in 2018. By the way, it was Chelsea's win against Man City during the week that
handed the Premier League title to Liverpool.
And while it's been a disappointing season for Arsenal, they could still end it with a trophy against Sheffield United the gunners took the lead
with a penalty from Nicolas Pepe midway through the first half. And after that, it looked as though they had a wind in the bag. But just minutes
before the end, some really sloppy defending allowed David McGoldrick to level the scores as the kind of undisciplined football that has driven
Ghana's fans crazy this season.
But credit to Arsenal, they were able to correct the mistake very quickly in the dying seconds of the game. Arsenal counter attacked and it was Dani
Ceballos who scored a dramatic winner. Arsenal play Man City while Chelsea play Man U. Both semifinals will take place at Wembley Stadium neutral turf
in London next month. Hala, that's all for now. Back to you.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. Don Riddell with that and we'll see you next hour. That's going to do it for me this hour. I'm Hala Gorani.
Thanks for watching. Kim Brunhuber is back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
