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Trump Claims Virus Will Disappear as U.S. Tops 50,000 in One Day; More States Close Beaches, Bars, End Indoor Dining; 1.4 Million New Unemployment Claims Expected in U.S.; Jeffrey Epstein Confidante Charged; No Age Exemption for China's New Security Law in Hong Kong; Source: Trump Often Didn't Read Intel on Russia; President Putin Assured Power until 2036; Ethiopians Protest Oromo Singer's Shooting; Team Trump Push Social Media App Parler; English Premier League Clarifies Stance on Black Lives Matter. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 02, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
HALA GORANI, CNNI HOST (voice-over): Hello. I'm Hala Gorani in London.
The U.S. sets a single day case record with 50,000 new infections on Wednesday alone. Why the curve is bending in the wrong direction in
America.
This as the new economic data shows millions of Americans are back to work.
But as some states are now forced to reverse reopenings, how will the economy fare?
We'll take a closer look at the numbers.
Also China puts its new law in action, arresting hundreds in Hong Kong Wednesday. More on the new reality facing the city's citizens.
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GORANI: Well, we'll also be talking about the breaking news in the last hour. Ghislaine Maxwell, the long-time associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was
arrested in connection to that investigation.
But let's talk first about the bleak milestone for the United States and the ongoing battle against COVID-19. The U.S. saw more than new 50,000
coronavirus cases on Wednesday and that's the single most reported ever. To put it in perspective, the country was more than two months into the
pandemic when daily numbers hit a peak.
Meanwhile, it seems like the U.S. president is doing an about face on his position on wearing masks. For months, Donald Trump has refused to wear a
face covering. But this is what he told FOX.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I am all for masks. I think mask are good. If I were in a group of people and I was close...
QUESTION: You would wear one?
TRUMP: Oh, I have. People have see me wearing one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That's an about face. And as we reported, medical experts are urging Americans to follow social distancing guidelines, including wearing
masks. So do both things, not one or the other and do that over the July 4th weekend, when people obviously are celebrating.
One doctor warns that the Independence Day holiday could be a perfect storm for new infections with large crowds gathering for the parties and
celebrations you see in America on July 4th. It is now up to individual states to decide how to stem the kind of rapid spread of the virus that we
saw after Memorial Day in May.
So California, one of the first states to lock down, is now reimposing many of the same restrictions. It's affecting 28 million people. And in Florida,
the mayor of Miami-Dade County has issued a mandatory mask order and is limiting pool hours and alcohol sales at hotels over this holiday weekend.
The upcoming weekend is just one of several factors that is raising concern in California. It's the most populous state in America as the governor
rolls back reopening plans in some areas.
So what is the reality on the ground in a state like California?
Here's Kyung Lah from Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: To understand why California is losing the battle against COVID-19, meet Manhattan Beach. At restaurants,
partitions are up. Tables sit empty for social distancing. Talk to the residents .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, I don't want to swear too loudly but I want to go to beach. It sucks. I mean, this is not the same situation we're dealing
with, where people from all over the world are partying on a beach in Miami.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't agree with being told that we can't do anything, especially on a holiday that this country is supposed to be
celebrating independence.
LAH (voice-over): Call it COVID exhaustion and it's showing up in the numbers. After early signs of success controlling the outbreak, California
is now bending the wrong way with little sign of slowing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I suspect there will be plenty of people walking around not socially distancing and not wearing their masks. We see it quite a bit.
LAH (voice-over): Los Angeles County alone has more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases. That's higher than all of these states in the U.S. with the
exception of the top seven. Governor Gavin Newsom warned all residents not to gather in large groups on the 4th of July.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): You've got 40 million people in the state of California and if they turn their back on the guidelines and common sense,
that is not something we can enforce.
DR. ROBERT WACHTER: I'm pretty gloomy and a little bit angry and sad.
[10:05:00]
LAH (voice-over): Despite how Dr. Robert Wachter feels watching California slide backwards, he credits Governor Newsom for shutting the state down
early. Most of the states seeing a resurgence in cases is Republicans and California is the exception.
WACHTER: I think the problem here is less about governance and more about human nature. If enough of them say, all right, the rules are beginning to
loosen up and I'm just going to get together with friends, I'm going to stay a couple of feet apart, it doesn't matter what the rules are. The
virus says, I see an opportunity, I'm going to pounce.
LAH (voice-over): Another big test this weekend as the 4th of July looms in the Golden State -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Will the same thing happen after July 4th that we saw happen after the Memorial Day holiday?
The virus doesn't care of how tired you are about COVID. The virus will infect you if you put yourself in a situation, where you're in big crowds
and not respecting social distancing.
Arizona is another state with surging case counts and the governor is putting the brakes on reopening. ICU hospital beds are almost 90 percent
full. I want to bring in Dr. Matthew Hines with the Tucson Medical Center.
Thanks very much for joining us. I know you have been on the night shift so thanks for joining us at the tail end of your shift.
What is it like at your -- in your hospital?
Are you seeing numbers rising?
Because overall if I look at the number of cases in just 24 hours almost 5,000 new cases in Arizona.
Yes, go ahead, please.
DR. MATTHEW HINES, TUCSON MEDICAL CENTER: Yes. That's right. We are seeing numbers rise, of course, of COVID cases. Very sick people. Some are
requiring ICU support and as you have been reporting the ICU capacity across the state of Arizona is pretty tight at this point.
GORANI: What's it like in your hospital?
What have you been observing?
HINES: So I think we're kind of seeing a lot of the same thing across southern Arizona and central Arizona. There's definitely a huge influx. For
example, the patients I admitted last night, half of them actually were -- as I suspected or confirmed having COVID-19.
And, you know, we're -- you know, some of our hospitals are out of ICU beds. Ours is not but, again, there's, you know, a few here and there. We
take transfers from other hospitals that need to shift their ICU patients to us. And sometimes it's the other way around.
And that -- there's a network in place so we can find placement for folks if people -- if hospitals do get to capacity.
GORANI: Now according to the numbers it seems as though younger people are getting infected in larger numbers than they were at the beginning of the
pandemic.
Are you seeing that in the patients admitted to hospitals in Arizona, that the patients are largely younger?
HINES: Yes. This is something we are seeing as well. Compared to a month ago or so, we're definitely seeing a lot more young patients. I know I
myself have admitted patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s to the hospital recently as this past weekend.
In fact, last night I had a COVID-19 patient, who's 37 years old, we admitted because she needed to have oxygen support.
GORANI: I see.
And what is going on in your -- I mean, anecdotally what is behind these very, very worrying spikes in cases?
At least from what you have been able to tell in your own hospital, in your own part of the country?
HINES: It's multiple factors. I think one of the things is we never got -- in Arizona, we never got done with our first wave. So this is a
continuation of the first wave. It was paused when we did have some social distancing requirements in place, a stay at home order.
That was something that was -- that actually stops in the middle of May and then three weeks after that the spikes have kept going and going.
GORANI: All right.
So you must be concerned about the July -- the upcoming July 4th weekend?
I mean, when you look at the next few weeks, because obviously the case numbers lag infection occurrences, so what's your biggest concern here
going forward?
HINES: Well, I'm concerned, though we have mask requirements throughout the state, which is going to hopefully improve our numbers going forward,
in a couple weeks, when people get together and socialize and mingle and maybe they're within six feet of friends and neighbors and maybe not always
wearing a mask.
[10:10:00]
HINES: Those are the times when people can exchange that virus. It travels on the water vapor we exhale. That's how that -- that's its transport
system and if people don't have these masks on, then we're going to see a lot more infections two to three weeks after the holiday weekend.
GORANI: Well, Dr. Matthew Hines, thank you very much for joining us from the Tucson Medical Center. Good luck to you and your colleagues there at
handling the influx of patients.
Now as far as the U.S. economy is concerned, there is a glimmer of good news. There were almost 5 million jobs added in June, 4.8 million. And
that's a record figure.
Still, though, it looks like a very long road to recovery from the pandemic lockdown. Last week, nearly 1.5 million Americans filed for first-time
unemployment benefits. Julia Chatterley joins us live in New York to help break down the numbers.
So the U.S. president came out at the White House saying this is it, the economy is roaring back, almost 5 million jobs created. But if you look at
where we are now compared to pre-pandemic, as I just mentioned, we're still a long way off, Julia.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. I think the president was right to focus on the 4.8 million jobs. But I'll show you the downside. We have
an official unemployment rate in the United States of just over 11 percent.
But if you add in all of the people that would like a job and simply can't find one at the moment, that rate becomes something like 15.4 percent. Then
add in the people that were saying, look, I'm temporarily out of the workplace rather than actually unemployed, it's more like 16.5 percent.
Then by next week, we could have around 50 million people having asked for first-time benefits. And the final point I'll make on this, the cutoff
date, Hala, for collecting this data is June 12th.
It was right before we started to see the cases of COVID spiking all around the country. We had companies like Apple saying, look, we're going to have
to close a number of stores in some of the worst affected states. In fact, we have got half of America at this moment rolling back or pausing on their
reopening efforts.
So all the good news is in this number and none of the challenges that we have seen kick in since. In certain states, they're pretty extensive.
GORANI: Yes. And as you mentioned rightly, I mean, you have to unpack the numbers to try to understand the bigger picture with the less skilled blue
collar workers, who cannot work from home. They're still severely impacted.
Minority unemployment rates still much, much higher than white unemployment rates among blacks and Hispanics and the unemployment rate as a whole, over
11 percent in the United States. I mean, we have not seen that in many decades.
CHATTERLEY: No, absolutely. And again, it doesn't -- it really doesn't give you the whole picture. We're talking more like a 16.5 percent
unemployment rate, far more than that if you just include people who have lost hours or lost a chunk of their wages and aren't out of a job at this
stage.
You have raised a great point about some of the pressures that we have faced in the United States and around the world. This is the hit that the
minority communities have taken and a greater hit than white workers in particular.
The gap now, as we watch these unemployment rates come down, again, more whites are being hired back into the workforce and more quickly than we're
seeing for some of the minorities, particularly for those like African Americans.
That gap actually between black-white unemployment is the widest it's been in five years. So actually it's -- we're seeing some of the jobs coming
back, it's not coming back to a greater extent for African Americans and for Asian and the Latinx communities in this country as well.
I think the final point I'll make on this as well to continue to watch, I have had a number of analysts say as a result of what we're seeing in the
sheer quantity of cases, we may actually see a negative number for the July reading. So while we should celebrate the jobs that have been gained in the
June month, July could be a very different story, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Julia Chatterley, thanks very much for that explanation and analysis.
Coming up, a long time friend and confidant of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been arrested. She is in police custody. The latest on
Ghislaine Maxwell coming up next.
Plus, new information is coming out about the alleged Russian bounties on U.S. soldiers and former White House officials are explaining why President
Trump actually might not have been aware of it. We'll bring you that coming up.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: All right. A source familiar with the matter says the confidante of Jeffrey Epstein, we have heard a lot about her in connection to the
investigation, Ghislaine Maxwell, she has been arrested now. She is expected to appear in court later today. She faces a six-count indictment.
She's been under investigation for allegedly helping Epstein recruit girls and women for sex. Maxwell is also named in multiple lawsuits by women who
say Epstein abused them and that she helped him abuse them. She denies any wrongdoing.
Joining me is Max Foster with more on what we know.
So Ghislaine Maxwell, talk to us about her background and what we know about this arrest.
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, she was a very well-connected socialite. She was actually brought up around where I am here in southern
England, so she was brought up in a mansion in Oxford. She went to school at the college where the Duchess of Cambridge went. She went to university
in Oxford and she was well connected in British society.
So the allegation by a lot of the victims here is that she was a gateway effectively for Epstein to very high-profile people, including Prince
Andrew and Bill Clinton. Then she was very good in social situations as well.
And what's so important about her is that she seems to be connected to a lot of the allegations coming out from a lot of these young women, who were
young women at the time when these allegations took place. She's the connection and she's the one that can give information, not just to the
authorities but also to all of the alleged victims here.
She's an interesting character, she was quite a high-profile figure in British society but after her father, who was a publisher, died in 1991,
she went to New York and reinvented herself. Her father was found in the sea after effectively stealing money out of one of his companies and moving
it into different companies.
So she -- he was seen as a disgraced figure. She reinvented herself with Epstein in New York and she hasn't been seen in public for years, apart
from one photo, which we think was leaked by her in the United States.
But she's a mysterious figure. There are so many questions to ask, not least whether any of the allegations are true. But whether or not if she's
-- if she's innocent in all of this, then she does have the information around any of the other crimes around Epstein.
That's the theory, at least. So she will be a fount of knowledge so it's going to be interesting to hear as well what she's going to be charged
with, if anything, by the authorities because they have been working very hard on this. They obviously feel they have a strong enough case at this
point.
GORANI: All right. Thank you very much, Max Foster.
So the news just in, in the last few hours, that Ghislaine Maxwell, the long-time confidante of Jeffrey Epstein, will face a six-count indictment.
[10:20:00]
GORANI: She was arrested this morning by the FBI in New Hampshire. So in the United States. She remained in the country. She will appear in court
later.
And just to update you on the reaction, which we have from one of the attorneys that represents alleged Epstein victims, Brad Edwards. He
represents 55 Epstein victims.
Quote, "After speaking with clients all morning, they are relieved and happy that this day has finally come and the fact that it's coming almost a
year to the day when Jeffrey Epstein was arrested makes it even more special," unquote.
So that's reaction from one of the attorneys representing alleged victims. We'll have more on this as details become available. Ghislaine Maxwell to
appear in court later today after being arrested around 8:30 in the morning in New Hampshire in the United States.
Let's talk about the latest out of China and Hong Kong. China is now lashing out at Western nations for taking action against its new national
security law for Hong Kong. Wednesday, Beijing passed that new anti- sedition and subversion law that carries penalties, like life in prison and secret trials on the mainland.
And people are worried this is the end of Hong Kong as we know it. The same day, 370 protesters were arrested, 10 of them under this new law. One of
them, a 15-year-old girl. The House of Representatives has now authorized sanctions on China over the treatment of Hong Kong.
China says the U.S. legislation is doomed to fail. Australia is considering some measures, providing a safe haven for Hong Kong citizens.
It also updated its travel guidance for Hong Kong, warning, quote, "You can break the law without intending to."
China is urging Australia not to choose what it calls the wrong path. And Beijing is hitting back at the U.K.'s decision to offer millions of Hong
Kongers a pathway to U.K. citizenship. That is for British nationals overseas, passport holders. Our international diplomatic editor Nic
Robertson is at the Chinese embassy.
Can China do anything to prevent countries from offering the national pathways to citizenship to some Hong Kongers?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It can do things but not directly though to affect the ability of Hong Kong citizens to come to
the U.K.
This British national overseas passport right will allow those 350,000 citizens to come to the U.K. to live and work here for five years. Then
apply for permanent status and then apply for citizenship a year after that.
So China can't stop that. But take the example of Australia. Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, earlier on in the past 24 hours,
saying that he was considering doing the same, offering sanctuary for Hong Kong residents.
China, as you were saying, warning Australia not to do that. But think back to May when Australia was advocating the same position as President Trump
for China, that it should be held to account for failing to control and combat COVID-19, that it should be investigated and challenged over this.
China later, within weeks, then put tariffs on Bali imports from Australia and stopped buying a certain amount of steak from Australia. Australia is
very heavily involved, you know -- China is very heavily involved in Australia's economy.
So there are indirect things that China can do that can send a very clear diplomatic and economic message that it's not happy.
With the U.K. at the moment, the ambassador was called into the foreign office yesterday. He didn't meet with the foreign secretary; he met with
one of his deputies. So read into that what you will.
But China is clearly bristling at what it sees as international interference. No jurisdiction, no sovereignty, is what the ambassador said,
that Britain doesn't have over Hong Kong.
GORANI: A quick last one on the U.S. legislation that aims to put some amount of pressure on China, that would essentially sanction any banks and
institutions that do business with China. I mean, this is trying to get to really the financial relationship that China has with the world.
I wonder how much pressure that will put on the country, if at all?
ROBERTSON: You know, it certainly will send a chill through all those in the U.S. that do business with and import from China. And that's been
something of a theme of President Trump's presidency all along. But this would take it to -- absolutely to a new and different level.
[10:25:00]
ROBERTSON: So undoubtedly this would cause some concern in Beijing. But I think this is probably factored into Beijing's equation of what it expected
to happen when it took this measure because, you know, international concern over the past couple of months, when it's become clear that China
might take this kind of action over the residents of Hong Kong, that, you know, China will have factored this into the calculation.
President Xi doesn't move, you know, without a great deal of foresight and care and control. A lot of people would say perhaps this move over Hong
Kong has come years ahead of what when he would have liked.
But he sees that President Trump is on a tirade in a way, if you will, against the trade relationship with China. He's hedging his bets that he's
positioning China this way right now is in China's best long-term interests, despite the punitive actions that might come from the United
States.
GORANI: OK, Nic Robertson, thanks very much.
A lot more ahead. Coronavirus cases are hitting record levels in the United States.
Can the states handle the pandemic's, quote, "perfect storm?"
Russian voters give Vladimir Putin job security well into the next decade. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: Welcome back.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on grand jury material from former special counsel Robert Mueller but not until the next session.
The court has blocked the documents from being released to Congress for the time being.
It's a win for the Justice Department and the Trump administration. They don't want these documents to be shared because it prevents these -- this
redacted information from coming out until after the 2020 presidential election.
Now to a story raising a lot of questions in Washington. More information has come out about the Russian bounties put on U.S. soldiers.
According to "The New York Times," an Afghan contractor acted as the middleman for Russia, handing out cash, not just small amounts of cash,
according to this report, but up to $100,000 for every American soldier killed.
Several sources have come forward to CNN, saying U.S. president Trump has been resistant to hearing intelligence about Russia, often blowing up at
briefings and demanding to know why they were so focused on Russia, to talk about something else.
Former administration officials say the outbursts prompted his national security team to give him fewer verbal briefings about Russia; instead,
putting the information in written briefings.
So was he given a written briefing, did not read it?
[10:30:00]
GORANI: Mr. Trump denies he was briefed and called the reporting about it a hoax. Joining me is CNN analyst and retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, who
is joining us live from Virginia.
So this really is -- I mean, of all the stories involving Donald Trump, the sort of -- the military establishment is really, really unhappy about this
in Washington and beyond. These reports that potentially Donald Trump might have been briefed about this and didn't do anything to address it with
Putin.
ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET.), CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: Right, Hala. Or alternatively, that he wasn't briefed at all, that it wasn't deemed
important enough to bring to the president's attention.
Both of them are equally troubling in terms of what it means for the decision-making process at the highest levels of this government. And, in
the meantime, you have got troops on the ground, commanders in the field and families at home that are rightly asking questions about the health and
safety and the missions that their young men and women are being asked to perform.
There are families -- even a commandant in the Marine Corps just yesterday said that he believes the Marine families that are involved in one of these
incidents have a right to have questions answered.
So it permeates down through all of American society, the degree to which this president is willing to hear bad news about Russia and the degree to
which he's willing to consume -- really consume and understand intelligence.
GORANI: It is interesting because, for instance, the veteran vote, a sizable portion of the veteran vote went to Trump in 2016. And they have --
one of the veteran organizations Vote Vets put out an ad blaming Donald Trump for some of these U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan. Here's a quick
clip of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): He shakes his hand, an American dies. They pal around, another roadside attack. Putin pays bounties to Taliban enemies
to kill American soldiers and not a word from Donald Trump. Intelligence reports on his desk; he says nothing to his Russian master.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So the president says it's all a hoax but, I mean, you're seeing how this is playing out in the United States and it's not in favor of the
president.
KIRBY: Right. So two points there.
One, I'm deeply troubled when he calls this a hoax because, clearly, even though you and I haven't seen the intelligence, there's enough reporting
out there that there was some intelligence. It doesn't have to be fully corroborated in order to make it -- in order for you to hold it back.
I have seen plenty of times when not fully vetted, not fully corroborated intelligence but was of a significant enough concern that rose to the
highest level of the chain of command.
And the second thing, it becomes politicized. Veterans are just as diverse as the American people. Some vote Left, some vote Right. That's
understandable. That's -- they have earned that right to express their opinion through the ballot box.
But I would hate to think that this incident, where you have a legitimate concern about a foreign power paying bounties to kill American soldiers,
would become partisan in any way whatsoever.
This should be an American concern. This is a concern for every mom and dad of every soldier that we have in American military, not to mention the
families and the soldiers of our allies and partners, who were likewise potentially targeted by this perfidious program.
GORANI: And now, let's pivot to China-Hong Kong here. That Hong Kong security law has many people worried that Beijing will use it to arrest
opponents. Chinese opponents, central government opponents and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, is calling that law, quote, "an affront to all
nations."
But beyond words -- and there was some legislation that is going to presumably be signed by the U.S. president sanctioning banks that do
business with some actors in China -- it -- does the U.S. have enough to put pressure on China to backtrack on some of these moves with regard to
the security law?
KIRBY: I think we have to wait and see how this Hong Kong autonomy act is actually executed. It does -- it does instill some additional sanctions for
anybody who could be helping China shut down or to execute this law in an overly aggressive manner.
We need to see how it's executed. But I would say this. While the United States is certainly the most important nation with respect to the U.S. --
to China's place in the world and the U.S.-China relationship is obviously the most impactful, the most consequential, it is really important here
that we try to rally allies and partners, not just in the region but around the world.
[10:35:00]
KIRBY: To also hold China accountable for the passage of the new national security law and the way they execute this law. We have already seen
Australia saying they're willing to offer safe haven for residents of Hong Kong.
The Brits have come out today and said they're willing to offer citizenship to people living in Hong Kong. Those are encouraging signs. I think we
should all look for and hope for other nations to likewise come to the floor with either legislation or policies that hold them accountable for
what they're doing to Hong Kong and to democracy there.
GORANI: Yes, but the big picture, though, John, as you know is China has pretty much been unchecked in the last few years. You know, all of these
retreats by the Trump administration on the world stage, China seems to be quite happy to fill the void and fill the vacuum in many cases, whether
it's politically, strategically and even sometimes economically.
I wonder if they see in Donald Trump the kind of president that will allow them to exert more geostrategic power on the global stage that perhaps
another president might put a bit of resistance to.
KIRBY: Great question. There's no question that they're reading the polls the same as most Americans are. And they only may have five more months of
Donald Trump. I think they're rattled by his unpredictability and the uncertainty that causes on the world stage.
I think you're right; they have taken advantage of the vacuum of the United States leadership not only in Asia Pacific but in Africa and in Europe as
well. Certainly the pandemic you can see how they have tried to fill the void when the United States has retrenched and not wanted to be a world
leader with regard to COVID-19.
That said, there have been some policies by this administration that have been aggressive in pushing back on China. In the South China Sea, for
instance, the United States has been much more aggressive in terms of freedom and navigation ops and just footprint and presence there.
They have been -- the Trump administration has been tough economically on China with respect to tariffs. Now it's caused problems here at home. But
they have been economically and, from a security perspective, willing to be tough on China.
The real problem, Hala, there's no consistency here and there doesn't seem to be a long-term strategy for what to do with the most consequential of
bilateral relationships. Now they appear to be using China as a bogeyman going into the election, to help get Trump re-elected.
So you have real legitimate concerns about a potential cold war. There are concerns about that because there doesn't seem to be any cohesive, long-
term policy strategy approach about what to do with China.
And most critically and to the previous point, there doesn't seem to be any willingness to include allies and partners in confronting China. In fact,
it's quite the opposite. President Trump takes every opportunity he can to stick it to our allies and the partners.
Look at the troop withdrawal from Germany that they're now talking about doing. So we're isolating ourselves right when we need to be including
other countries in these concerns and having a geostrategic approach that not just the American people can get behind but other nations can get
behind, too.
GORANI: All right. John Kirby, thanks very much. Appreciate your analysis.
In 2036, Vladimir Putin will be 84 years old. That's when he might finally step down as the president of Russia. The Russians votes approved the
amendment letting presidents, including Putin, to run for more than two consecutive terms.
He is already one of the longest serving leaders in office. Critics of the Kremlin like Alexei Navalny called the amendment a huge lie.
And moving on to Ethiopia, hundreds took to the streets to protest the death of a singer and activist. They say it's emblematic of the problems
plaguing the entire nation. Eleni Giokos has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: Protests have erupted in Ethiopia following the killing of musician and activist Hachalu Hundesa. His death
has resonated deeply with Ethiopians at home and abroad who viewed Hundesa as a critical voice for the Oromo people.
It's the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. Hundesa highlighted the historical frustrations experienced of economic as well as political
marginalization. The prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, also of the Oromo people, condemned the killing of Hundesa. He also talked about the continued
persecution of the group.
[10:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABIY AHMED, ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER: What our enemies want is that we don't finish the work that we've started, that the Oromo people for this
reason fight, are killed, their blood is spilled, that the journey that we have started gets derailed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The target has also been was criticized for what many is a policy of reversing ethnic tensions that have plagued the country's past. This
week his government cut (INAUDIBLE) in many parts of the country, a move that we hear has incited anger as well as anxiety on the ground.
Hundesa's active role during the 2015 protest action, through songs like "Maalan Jira," which means, "What Existence is Mine," helped catalyze the
political reform in that country and it was during a critical time that culminated in the removal of the then president.
Now experts say the killing of Hundesa is symbol and for many also underscores the existing tensions in Ethiopia. Nearly 80 people have been
killed and 35 others arrested during this week's protests, including Jawar Mohammed, a prominent figure, also of the Oromo people, and importantly a
very fierce critic of the parent government.
So exacerbating frustrations in the country. It was election year, set to be held in August. Those have been postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now Hundesa's funeral is set to take place in Oromia on Thursday -- Eleni Giokos, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And coming up, will the U.S. president abandon Twitter?
Donald Trump's campaign is pushing an alternative social media site. But first, here's this week's global energy challenge.
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[10:45:00]
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GORANI: Welcome back.
Ever since Twitter began making some of the U.S. president's tweets as -- marking, I should say, the U.S. president's tweets as misleading or
inciting violence, the campaign has been looking for a different social media outlet and it may have found one. Tom Foreman shows us Parler.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parler is the only social media platform that protects your constitutional right to free speech.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Never heard of Parler?
Team Trump is pushing the social media app as a new center for conservative conversation. With big-name Republicans signing up fast as the president's
campaign manager tweets, hey, Twitter, your days are numbered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big tech is out of control, filled with hubris and flagrantly silencing those with whom they disagree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love Twitter and tweeting and between that and Facebook, I have 10 million followers.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Going into the 2016 election, Trump was a huge fan of big social media sites, especially Twitter, using it to pump his message
directly to his now nearly 83 million followers and to dodge the scrutiny of mainstream media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a thing called free speech rights.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He has long been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, lies and racist tropes on Twitter, as he did with this video
before removing it hours later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White power.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But now with Twitter cracking down on some of his content for being misleading or encouraging violence --
TRUMP: There's nothing I'd rather do than get rid of my whole Twitter account.
FOREMAN (voice-over): His campaign team is considering several other platforms, even working on one of their own to let Trump say what he will
unquestioned, unimpeded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea that there's no political censorship.
FOREMAN: Right now Parler is getting the most buzz from conservatives who love it and progressives who say the app is biased against them, even as
the cofounder promised an electronic town square for all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without the idea that there's somebody looking over your shoulder, saying is that a politically correct view or not, is that
the one you're supposed to have?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: That was Tom Foreman reporting. At last check, the president is still using very, very, very much using Twitter.
The sports have embraced the Black Lives Matter campaign. But England's Premier League has recently clarified its stance. We'll explain more just
ahead.
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[10:50:00]
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GORANI: Well, the English Premier League has clarified its stance on the Black Lives Matter movement. Here's Don Riddell with more on that -- Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thanks very much, Hala.
You know, when the Premier League returned to action after the coronavirus lockdown, it was with an emphatic show of support for the Black Lives
Matter movement.
Players and referees took a knee; they all had the words "Black Lives Matter" on their shirts. But as BLM has become politicized, now the game's
relationship with the movement has soured. The South London team, Crystal Palace, have now distanced itself from the campaign.
And the Premier League has quickly found itself in a rather awkward position.
This week the Premier League said, quote, "We do not endorse any political organization or movement, nor support any group that calls for violence or
condones illegal activity. We are aware of the risks posed by groups that seek to hijack popular causes and campaigns to promote their own political
views.
"These actions are entirely unwelcome and are rejected by the Premier League and all other professional football bodies."
Crystal Palace said, quote, "We stand proudly alongside members of the BLM community, players and employees and behind the ideals and ethos of Black
Lives Matter.
"However, we would like to make clear that we do not endorse any pressure group or body that carries the same term in its name and we strongly
believe that organizations should not use this important force for change and positivity to push their own political agendas."
This one really has been brewing up over the last few days. Our contributor Darren Lewis has been following this.
Just two weeks ago the Premier League was widely praised for supporting this movement.
What has happened in the meantime?
DARREN LEWIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a few tweets have come from the Black Lives Matter U.K. Twitter feed that people have distanced themselves
from. And they've basically moved into the politics when everyone was behind the unifying message of cause, which sprang from the death of George
Floyd.
Now the interesting thing about what you have just described there, the clubs that are moving to distance themselves from the Black Lives Matter
movement, as it were, is that the race and the pushing -- I use the word -- it's a wrong word to use in terms of race -- but the push for equality
doesn't have a title.
And that's quite key because you have these organizations that are moving to distance themselves from Black Lives Matter. And a lot of these
organizations have got people to wear badges and whatnot on screen or -- it's almost U.K.'s gesture politics and that is, if you like, the problem
with football.
Football has indulged far too much in gesture politics. If you're really behind this movement, you don't need to issue a statement. You simply need
to address the things that the movement embodies.
More black managers, more people at the top of the game, more people aware that, once they finish their playing career, there's a future for them
inside the game. And not just about football as well, in society, as well.
The leadership teams have to reflect consumers, the people who buy products. That is not happening at the moment.
And so what we're seeing is this whole rush to kind of distance themselves from effectively a Twitter account but not actually dealing with the issues
that the Twitter account was set up to amplify.
This is not about politics, Don. This is about life and the way that we push for equality to ensure that each person is treated the same as anybody
else.
RIDDELL: So I guess what we're -- what you're saying, it's a good gesture. But it's about more than that and ultimately it doesn't matter if they have
the names on the shirts or written on their boots. They have to do so much more than that.
It is so tricky for major sports organizations whenever they stray into things that may be or may be seen as political and, quite frankly,
everything these days is political.
So how does the Premier League walk this line?
LEWIS: Well, it doesn't need to walk a line, Don. What it needs to do is address the issues. The slogan was set up.
[10:55:00]
LEWIS: And, you know, the push for equality is not a slogan. That's the point I'm trying to make.
The push for equality is about going out and actually showing what you intend to do with action. As yet, we still have no indication from the
people who run football in this country as to what they intend to do about the lack of black people at the top of the game.
We have no indication as to what they intend to do about the fact that, of the top four divisions, none of the matches are officiated by a black or
Asian referee. In 2020, we had no indications as to what they'll do about that. No indications as to what they'll do about the fact that we still
have five black managers of the 91 in this country.
The badges and the Twitter account and the Black Lives Matter slogan are a distraction. And they're taking our focus away from the real issues that we
should be focusing on in sport and out in the wider society.
RIDDELL: Quite right. Actions speak louder than words. Darren Lewis, thank you.
Meanwhile, the action continues on the field and although there's no fans in the stadium, there's no shortage of drama. A big London clash, West Ham
against Chelsea, a chance for Chelsea to strengthen their case for a top four finish. Willem's free kick, West Ham needs some good results to try to
avoid relegation and they got one here. Barely a minute left to play Andriy Yarmolenko scored a dramatic winner. 3-2 the final score.
At the top, Chelsea remain in fourth but now only a two-point gap between themselves and the surging Manchester United. A massive game coming up when
Manchester City hosts Liverpool. Liverpool clinched the title last week. It's against the winner of the two previous titles. And both expect the
rivalry to continue. The Reds manager already has a plan for next season.
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JURGEN KLOPP, REDS MANAGER: We will not defend the title or whatever next year. We will attack the next one that will be difficult enough. But we
will have the same situation as other teams. What we achieved last week is something for the history books.
(END VIDEO CLIP) RIDDELL: Jurgen Klopp and the Reds clearly have no intention of
relinquishing their title and I would expect them to play very hard today. Hala, back to you.
GORANI: All right. Thank you, Don.
Working from home, taking care of children, all that can be tough but the stakes are even higher when you have to do a live TV interview. On
Wednesday, one health expert -- well, her child stole the show on the BBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. So obviously -- shh. Do stop me.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Christian.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's his name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His name's Christian.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Mommy --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
What does Mommy want to do today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think (INAUDIBLE). Thank you. I'm so sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the most informative interview I have done all day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the very same day a similar scene played out on Sky News. The anchor reacted differently.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) biscuit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, later in a tweet she confirmed her son did get his biscuits due to his high stakes negotiation. The best time to ask anybody for
anything is when they're on live TV. They usually just say yes.
I'm Hala Gorani in London. Another hour of CONNECT THE WORLD with Kim Brunhuber is up next.
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END
