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Ghislaine Maxwell On Buckingham Throne; Crowds gather For July 4th Celebrations Amid Pandemic; FDA Head Won't Defend Or Deny Trump's Harmless Claim. Aired 10:00-11a ET
Aired July 06, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, coronavirus cases
keep shattering records in the U.S. at large crowds seen over the Fourth of July holiday weekend are fueling fears. We'll see more spikes in the coming
weeks. This as hundreds of the world's top doctors are warning that coronavirus can float and be transmitted through the air in droplets.
And the British royal family is once again entangled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal after this photo surfaced of his alleged accomplice sitting on a
throne at Buckingham Palace. We're live in London with the latest.
United States is just days away from passing three million confirmed COVID- 19 cases by far the most in the world. And the country is emerging from its Independence Day weekend with record hospitalizations and daily infection
numbers in several states, including some of the biggest.
Across the globe in Australia more than six and a half million people in the state of Victoria will go into isolation 24 hours from now to control
an outbreak in Melbourne. Police and military personnel will block the border between Victoria and New South Wales.
And there's important medical news today. A group of experts is contradicting guidance from the World Health Organization and warning that
coronavirus can be exhaled via small airborne droplets not just through coughing or sneezing.
In the U.S. new case counts are rising in 32 states and health experts fear the outbreaks will just get worse.
On Sunday, California set a one-day record for any U.S. state with more than 11,000 cases. Florida which set its own daily record Saturday is not
far behind. All the states on this list except California started lifting lockdowns early, and now governors and mayors in some of those states are
admitting they should have waited longer to reopen. Rosa Flores reports on the looming post-holiday fallout, the growing divide between the Trump
administration and local officials.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases continues to surge throughout the country, images from the Fourth of
July weekend are likely to add to health experts concerns. Crowds gathering at this Michigan Beach party with no social distancing or face coverings.
At the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri people packing waterfront restaurants and filling pools and at this waterpark in Wisconsin, masks were required
for employees but not guests once inside.
And on the West Coast, L.A. beaches were closed for the holiday weekend, but San Diego saw busy beaches and boardwalks as the state reached to hire
new cases Sunday with nearly 12,000 according to Johns Hopkins University with coronavirus cases now on the rise in 32 states, local and state
officials say the Federal government needs to do more.
MAYOR KATE GALLEGO (D), PHOENIX: President Trump was in my community chose not to wear a mask and he's having large events while I am trying to push
people that you need to stay at home.
GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): We need a national strategy. We're only as strong as our weakest link right now. We went through hell, we cannot afford to go
through hell again.
MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: We're not on the same page. There's not unity in the, you know, in our community or any community right
now.
FLORES: President Trump still sending mixed messages about the virus, downplaying the recent spikes with this false claim.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing we showcases 99 percent of which are totally
harmless.
FLORES: FDA Commissioner Dr. Steven Hahn refusing to defend the claim.
DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FDA COMMISIONER: So I'm not going to get into who's right and who's wrong. We've seen this surge in cases, we must do something to
stem the tide. And we have this in our power to do it. By following the guidance from the White House task force in the CDC.
FLORES: In Texas, officials are issuing dire warnings after hospitals in at least two counties had full capacity, urging Texans to social distance and
use masks to stem the surge.
MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON, TEXAS: if we don't get our hands around this virus quickly. In about two weeks, our hospital system could be
in serious, serious trouble.
FLORES: Florida eclipsed 40,000 new coronavirus cases in the first four days of July and set a single day high of 11,458 new cases on Saturday.
Officials in Southern Florida concerns about the growing numbers, fearful for the impact on their own hospital system.
[10:05:05]
These huge spikes we're seeing right now obviously mean that in a week or two, we're going to see even, you know bigger people showing up, more
people showing up to hospitals in intensive care and on ventilators.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Thanks to Rosa Flores for that. Well, you heard in Rosa's report, President Trump's claim that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are
harmless and the FDA commissioner's refusal to acknowledge that false claim. So I want to discuss that with Senior Washington Correspondent Joe
Johns. Joe, first to the President's comments, The President again doubling down on his dismissal of the dangers of the coronavirus.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Right. And the reason why this is so important is because of the issue of mixed messaging. This has
happened again and again with members of the Coronavirus Task Force, they're meeting by the way in just a few hours here at the White House. It
didn't mean over the weekend. The problem occurs when You have a set of messages, very specific coming out of the healthcare and science centers of
the United States.
And then you have the President of the United States saying something completely different. The what happens is, people can choose who they
believe. And that obviously just can tend to make the problem worse in the United States. Dr. Stephen Hahn and other members of the Coronavirus Task
Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, they've all been confronted with this kind of question.
And they've had to figure out how to contradict the president without directly contradicting him because as you know, the President is very
prickly on the issue being contradicted on television. And Stephen Hahn essentially would not say the President was wrong, but ended up correctly
stating what the science is and the way you protect yourself in the United States against coronavirus when the numbers quite frankly are surging.
The President obviously has a political motivation to try to happy talk the American public. When the truth is this is a very tough time. And there are
concerns that coronavirus is getting out of control, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: But Joe, I mean, even as we see mayors and governors, you know, admitting they were wrong, you know, President Trump refuses to do so. But
you talked about the political motivation. I mean, what is that at this point?
JOHNS: Well, it's clear the President wants at least his base to understand that things are going to get better. He's very optimistic, and he wants --
he doesn't want the public to start thinking this thing is getting out of control. So, what we saw for example, just last weekend, when he went out
to Mount Rushmore, the President I made one glancing reference to coronavirus at the very beginning of his speech there at the foot of the
mountain and then proceeded to not even talk about it again.
And that has been the President's motive, if you will, to make people think this isn't that bad. Now on the other hand, he does have a campaign rally
coming up this weekend in New Hampshire, and the campaign after finding that the rally in Tulsa led to two campaign workers and eight Secret
Service agents test, you know, testing positive for coronavirus. Now they are going to be handing out the face masks and hand sanitizer as well as
having people who are going to that rally sign, if you will, the limitation on liability document that says they can't sue the campaign if they get
sick.
So It's a problem that the President chooses to tell people this thing is going to go away and hopes that they'll be in good shape one way or the
other by November. And that sort of depends on whether his promise comes magically true that, we're going to have a vaccine, you know, much earlier
than the end of the year, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Joe Johns in Washington, thank you very much. A letter signed by 239 scientists is calling for COVID-19 to be classified as
airborne. The letter set to be published today calls on the WHO to recognize that the virus can float in the air on small droplets and is
likely one way it's being transmitted. Authors of the report claim the word airborne is loaded, leading the who to avoid using the term.
Now the agency currently states that the virus is primarily spread from person to person in close contact. So Joining us now is Dr. Russell
Wilensky, a CNN Medical Analyst and Professor at Harvard Medical School.
[10:10:02]
BRUNHUBER: So doctor, I mean the danger of droplets suspended in the air lingering there potentially affecting people who breathe it. I mean, that's
not new science. So why what's the controversy here?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: The challenge here is this is all about the language and that the distinction between aerosols and
droplets is really a continuum regarding the size of the particles. So droplets tend to be five to 10 microns. Aerosols tend to be .3 microns,
they're just much smaller. And so, you know, we do know that most respiratory viruses and largely coronaviruses are transmitted by droplets,
larger particles that tend to fall to the floor relatively quickly.
We know other diseases, like tuberculosis and chickenpox tend to be airborne, they can stay in the air for hours and they can -- they can move
over spaces for very long periods of time. And what we're talking about here is the fact that coronavirus (INAUDIBLE) too can in fact be on aerosol
-- be within aerosols. They don't tend to be there for hours upon hours, but they can stand in the air for some longer period of time than the
droplets might.
And so we're really just talking about a continuum here. And the language is what's important.
BRUNHUBER: But then why is the WHO loads to use that term?
WALESNKY: Well, it has implications in terms of what facemasks people might need to be wearing. If we were to classify this as an airborne disease,
then people in the public might claim that they need and 95 to protect themselves and I would say, while it may have some component of airborne
capacity, really, surgical masks are probably fine. We haven't seen any transmission really between healthcare workers when they're wearing
surgical masks.
And really, we want to save N95s for airborne procedures that are happening within the hospitals. So it has a lot of implications in terms of what
masks you might be needing to wear in order to protect yourself. And we do really believe the masks are sufficient.
BRUNHUBER: Uh-hmm. But do you agree basically, in principle with the idea that it that these, you know, aerosols do float in the air, they can
accumulate over time and thus, you know, places like bars, for instance, might be more hazardous.
WALESNKY: I think if you're standing in a bar and you're wearing a surgical facemask and you and the person you're talking to are wearing a surgical
facemask, you're protecting yourself. I do think it's possible that you might have an aerosol for somebody who is very in close contact with you
closer than six feet. I think it's unlikely that if you enter a room in a bar where somebody who was infected several hours prior was not wearing a
face mask that you would get it, that would be airborne transmission. So I think surgical face masks in this context will really be sufficient.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, turning specifically to the U.S. now. We've seen the pictures over the Fourth of July. Not a lot of social distancing
in many places, we saw a huge spike resulting from the Memorial Day weekend, are we going to see a similar spike down the road because of this?
WALESNKY: Yes, I worry we are. And in fact, it took about four or five weeks for us to see that spike. And in many of these areas, you know, we
have not seen the mitigation behavior that we have needed to sort of curtail this spike. I want to remind folks that the United States has their
stay at home orders on March 22nd. At that time, we had about 15,000 new cases per day in the United States.
Here July 4th, we did not have stay-at-home orders. You saw all of that crowding, and we had 50,000 new cases per day. So not only were we in worse
shape than we were, you know, when we initially had our stay-at-home orders, but I think we can expect these to continue to soar.
BRUNHUBER: Well, very troubling indeed. All right. Thank you very much, Dr. Rochelle Walensky for joining us. Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD.
Pandemic hotspots in Australia are being placed under travel restrictions where borders will be closed and when it goes into effect.
Plus, English pubs get back into business after coronavirus shut down. Health safety rules seem to be on (INAUDIBLE)
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[10:16:36]
BRUNHUBER: Officials in Australia have closed off the border between New South Wales and Victoria earlier than expected. The decision to impose
travel restrictions was taken after all of Melbourne was deemed a coronavirus hotspot. All travelers from the state of Victoria are now
required to isolate for two weeks. Australian journalist Angus Watson has more.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN NEWSDESK PRODUCER: Well, three thousand people across nine public housing units went into their second day and the complete
lockdown in Melbourne, Australia on Monday, they're not allowed to leave their house for any reason and are under police guard as their government
tries to keep them safe from COVID-19. 127 cases in Victoria, the strip -- the Southern Australian state detected on Sunday.
16 of those in these very highly densely populated towers where the government is very worried that coronavirus could just rip through and
really infect people who already have underlying health conditions there. So that's the local effort to try to stem this outbreak in Australia.
There's also a nationwide one, the border between Victoria and New South Wales the two most populous states in the country closed now as of Tuesday
night midnight, local time.
No one will be able to travel between in Victorian New South Wales to try to keep a lid on this spike try to keep this coronavirus outbreak in
Victoria and not let it spread to the rest of the country. Angus Watson in Sydney.
BRUNHUBER: New local lockdowns are being imposed in Spain to try and put a lid on two coronavirus outbreaks. The restrictions were announced over the
weekend affecting about 270,000 people in the Catalonia and Galicia regions. In Catalonia police set up checkpoints around the main hotspot to
prevent people from going in and out. The outbreak in Galicia started in local bars and led to dozens of new cases.
These are the first lockdown since Spain lifted its national state of emergency last month. But as bars in Spain face lockdowns those in England,
open their doors. Crowds flocked to pubs on Saturday as they reopen from a 15-week shutdown. But in many places, as we're seeing here, social
distancing rules -- oh, they went out the window. A police official said one thing is now clear drinking and social distancing do not mix well.
Anna Stewart is in London with more. So Anna, we expect the things to be crazy. Certainly the pictures we were just showing there are, you know,
very disturbing, if predictable. Was it actually Bedlam or did pub goers largely behave themselves?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know what, Kim, for the most part, people in England celebrated the easing of lockdown really quite
responsibly. I was outside a pub in the west of London and it was a lot of social distancing. A lot of very careful queuing and things were going to
plan but it wasn't until the evening here in central London where things really started getting very overcrowded.
A lot of drinking, as you mentioned, but it was a very small area, actually really only three streets. I was just down there myself speaking to the
bars and restaurants which were largely empty even around there because they only allow so many people in at any given time, you have to book
ahead. The streets were round. It was like a street party or a festival atmosphere. A very young demographic.
And as you can see from those pictures you're looking at right now, very few people actually wearing facial coverings.
[10:20:05]
STEWART: So very concerning, particularly as London really does have a very high rates in terms of the transmission of the virus still, so it's not
great. But this is the problem that faces the U.K. government and government all across the world. How do you kick start economies, get
people out and spending and feeling safe, that they can go out and get spending and hospitality and such like, without lifting the lid on the
spread of the virus?
All those businesses I spoke to you around the area really didn't enjoy it. They're really hoping that was a one off people just over excited on day
one because they want to see further lockdowns ahead or restrictions on that opening hours. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's right. And the Prime Minister warned people will have to, you know, behave themselves otherwise he will shut things down. So
those types of pictures won't help. Well, let's pivot now to one of the other sectors hard hit economically by the shutdown. That's the arts sector
and now the U.K. government I understand is stepping in?
STEWART: They are. And actually an incredible amount of money nearly $2 billion in an aid package for the arts sector. For theatres like the one
behind me because while much of England has reopened, theaters remain close, curtains remain down and they will be like that for some time.
There's no opening date in the diary. Many are saying they weren't opened this year. And there were fears that many would have to just shutter
forever.
And actually, the theater right behind me that puts on the production of lame is Rob, they were already talking about redundancies. They were just
two weeks ago, they were starting that process. Perhaps they can hit pause on that. Now they're looking at as a package, but I'll have to see how it
can be distributed, how they can apply for it, and so on. But hopefully good news for that sector. But it does set a precedent.
Nearly $2 billion, the art sector. What about aviation? What about tourism? What about the hospitality sector? Some have reopened, but will struggle to
actually make any money given all the new safety measures in place. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. All right. Thank you so much. Anna Stewart in London. The Broadway world is mourning the loss of one of its own due to
COVID-19. Canadian actor Nick Cordero, passed away Sunday after battling with the virus. The 41-year-old suffered several complications over the
past three months including blood clots, an amputated leg and time spent on the ventilator. Cordero survived by his wife Amanda and their one-year-old
son, Elvis.
Coronavirus cases are spiking in Iraq and it's expected to worsen. There are now more than 62,000 cases in the war-torn country. The health ministry
reports 17,000 or -- sorry, 1796 new cases on Monday and it's cause for concern as Iraq's hospitals could soon reach full capacity. CNN's Arwa
Damon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They wait to verify the names of the dead. Their sorrow is silent, much like the enemy that claimed
those they love.
Yousef al-Hajami (ph) lost his parents and his sister to COVID-19, one after the other. They underestimated the virus. They did not understand how
to protect themselves from the spread.
We are terrified now. We are 100 percent convinced, he says.
The burials happen at night in Iraq's largest cemetery, when the country's brutal summer heat dips. Final prayers are carried out by strangers. Teams
from the country's paramilitary force, the Hashd, initially formed to fight ISIS.
We are getting around 70 to 80 bodies a day, (INAUDIBLE) says.
And it is expected to get much worse across this country, whose medical infrastructure was already decimated by decades of sanctions, war and
corruption.
Medical workers report a prevalence of the virus among hospital staff due to a lack of proper measures and PPE.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was -- I'm with my family when the head manager of the hospital contacted me to inform me that the result of PCR is positive for
COVID-19.
DAMON: Dr. al-Etapani (ph) filmed the moment he told his children he was sick, promising them that he would be back, not knowing if it would be a
promise he would keep.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For any person, it's a painful moment that you say goodbye to your children and your family and you do not know whether you
will return back or not.
DAMON: Luckily, he did and is now recovering.
We were so worried about mommy and daddy because of corona, one of his daughters says upon his return. But the others chime in.
But Dr. (INAUDIBLE) fears for the worst for his country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With coronavirus cases now jumped due to government default in providing protection measures, the people and opening the
markets and malls.
[10:25:03]
DAMON: This video shows people scuffling over oxygen tanks outside a hospital in the south of the country, trying to secure a supply for their
sick loved ones.
In the same city, health workers beg their ministry for help. Iraqis know loss on a mass scale all too well. The bitter pain of consecutive wars that
bled into each other.
A member of Iraq security forces apologizes for his inability to keep his emotions in check. It's his mother who died.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Ahead on the show, a 23-year-old accused of deliberately ramming his motorcycle into Hong Kong Police appears in court. We'll tell you
whether authorities are letting him out of jail.
Plus, a controversial photo of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged accomplice puts Britain's Royal Family back in the scandal spotlight. The latest from
Buckingham Palace coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: In Hong Kong, the first person to be charged under the new national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong has been denied bail.
This 23-year-old known as Tong appeared in court a few hours ago, he arrived in a wheelchair having fallen off his motorbike during protests
last Wednesday. Tong is accused of deliberately ramming police officers and faces a terrorism charge.
He was also carrying a flag reading Liberate Hong Kong Revolution of Our Time and as accused of inciting succession under this new law. How many see
this law as China chipping away at freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly in Hong Kong in violation of the 1997 handover
agreement?
Over the weekend books by prominent activists, including Joshua Wong were removed from public libraries. Wong is facing new charges as well. CNN's
Ivan Watson spoke with him.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim, I watched in Hong Kong court as pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pled not guilty to three
charges he's facing in connection with protests that took place in June of last year. He vows not to kowtow as he puts it to the communist regime in
mainland China. This just days after Beijing imposed a controversial new national security law on this former British colony.
A law that he and other actors activists warn could destroy democratic rights and freedoms here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:30:05]
JOSHUA WONG, HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: I was charged by organizing, inciting and participating an authorized assembly during the protest
outside of the Hong Kong Police headquarters on last Sunday.
WATSON: I remember that day there were thousands and thousands of demonstrators outside the Wanchai Police Station and some were throwing
eggs at the building. Some were spray painting graffiti on it, and I do remember you addressing the crowd, telling people to register to vote.
WONG: It's the responsibility for the government to hold the police accountability. And with the brutal crackdown and a brush that happened on
last summer that's the reason for why people gator outside of the police headquarters. Political prosecution exists in Hong Kong for almost a year
already. More than almost 10,000 people were arrested since last summer, including 1600 of them, including me were prosecuted.
WATSON: Hong Kong government officials say basic freedoms will be respected here under the national security law. What is your response to that
assertion?
WONG: If basic freedom is still exist under the national security law, how come the book I published when I was still in high school was banned in
Hong Kong Public Library? It's not only about the political rights anymore, it's not only about the rights of protester, it's about the fundamental
freedom or liberty that everyone cherish in this city being eroded and fade out already.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Just a couple of days ago, Wong and several of his colleagues disbanded their political party in response to the new national security
law. They say they did this to protect kind of lower ranking members of their party who they say include high school students to protect them from
possible prosecution. He says he is ready for the possibility that he could get sentenced to prison.
That's not going to stop him from trying to run for Hong Kong's next legislative council elections. Those are scheduled to take place in
September. But he says it remains to be seen whether or not Beijing will disqualify him from running. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. And joining me now to talk about this issue. Former Governor of Hong Kong and current Chancellor of the
University of Oxford, Chris Patten. Thank you very much for joining us. 23 years ago, you watched as the Union Flag was lowered after 150 years of
British rule. As you watch what's happening now, did you fear this very scenario?
CHRIS PATTEN, FORMER GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG: Well, on my darkest nights I might have done but by and large, I believe that China as a -- as a great
country, would keep its word, would keep to national treaties, particularly one that's been lodged at the United Nations, and by and large until Xi
Jinping came along the president dictator in China. They didn't do too badly. And but things have taken a turn for the worse.
And it's the greatest assault I think on a free society, it was great -- an assault on a free society as anybody can remember the last 15 years, which
is why it's been so widely denounce.
BRUNHUBER: Do you think this is a clear breach of the agreement put into place when the colony was handed over?
PATTEN: Yes, everybody, I think recognizes that it's a clear breach of the Joint Declaration. It's a clear breach of the basic law, which is a mini
constitution, which China itself designed for Hong Kong. Why? Because Xi Jinping's regime in Beijing is particularly nasty and it's taking advantage
of the fact that the rest of the world is focusing on fighting the coronavirus, which of course, started in China and is perhaps worse because
of the initial secrecy by the Chinese about him.
And he's taking advantage of that to pick fights everybody. From -- in here in the west of Japan and Taiwan in the east, and particularly now, Hong
Kong. And that they will allow people like Joshua Wong to stand in the legislative councils is I think pretty fanciful, they will try to stop it.
And because they know that if people like Joshua Wong and other Democrats running elections that will win a landslide.
BRUNHUBER: Well, you know, basically what we're seeing now all these, you know, people, you know, being arrested for banners and books being banned.
I mean, does it -- does it show just exactly how wide ranging this this law is?
PATTEN: It really does. And what we have to recognize is two things about it. And there's an Orwellian nature about it, and things aren't ever quite
defined. The dishes, what do they mean by secession? What do they mean by collusion? You only find out with Chinese law with the rule of fear when it
actually -- when the chopper falls on you. Secondly, there is an international extraterritoriality about it .
[10:35:09]
PATTEN: Because what the Chinese regime is saying in this law is that even if you're not a Chinese citizen, even if you're not a citizen of Hong Kong,
even if you're outside Hong Kong and China, if you do anything which appears to be against this law, and you can be arrested as soon as you set
foot in Hong Kong or China. So it's going to have a deadening effect, not only on the academic community, not only on NGOs, but also I suspect on
some aspects of business.
Because what it does affect us is -- and the freedom of information, which is so important to good business.
GORANI: Well, the U.K. government now I understand is considering suspending extradition to Hong Kong. Can we expect more robust, you know,
actions from the government sanctions, perhaps?
PATTEN: Well, I hope we won't take sanctions against Hong Kong, what we should do is make sure we focus any condemnation on the Chinese Communist
Party, not China, but the Chinese Communist Party. And what's happening in Hong Kong as part of (INAUDIBLE) events which I think should unite the
liberal democracies around the world and countries in the region which are being bullied like Vietnam and others.
I think we have to actually not confront China, but make sure that China understands that there are consequences when it behaves like a mouth, or
when it behaves like a bully. And we have to deal with China because it's such a big country. And if you're talking about an issue, like climate
change, or an issue like anti-microbial resistance, which is the next pandemic, around the corner, you're talking about issues like that we have
to deal with China.
But when China oversteps the bounds, when it covers anybody who says anything it doesn't like then the rest of us have to stand up for it and we
have to be concerted. In that we need to have a properly organized alliance against thuggery.
BRUNHUBER: What specifically? I mean, some have been calling for such an international response. Specifically, you're suggesting targeting the
Chinese Communist Party. What exactly would you like to see?
PATTEN: Well, one very obvious thing isn't present. If you look at trade, intellectual property theft, cyber security, China plays by totally
different rules to everybody else. With -- for example, heavily subsidized by the state and by credit and many of its -- many of its companies, it
goes into predatory purchasing of companies abroad but we actually have to make sure from now on the China plays by the same international rules in
Economics and Trade that the rest of us do.
We also have to pullout China when it behaves appointing me as it, is in Xinjiang at the moment when it appears to be guilty of what amounts to
genocide against the Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang that we have to make -- we have to confront China with its bad behavior. And in addition, when it
breaks the rules, we have to make clear that it can't do so with impunity.
BRUNHUBER: When you speak of companies, are you specifically thinking of 5G provider Huawei?
PATTEN: Well, I haven't taken part in that debate because my technical expertise just about enables me to answer a mobile phone. But it's crazy to
think that Huawei is like any other multinational company. It's a creature of the state. And Huawei has been very involved, for example, in creating
the surveillance state in Xinjiang, which is both so much appalling hardship for people in Xinjiang.
So we really have to -- have to recognize that and we can't become dependent on Chinese technology that we need to develop our own technology.
And we need to stop China stealing our own technology as they see fit.
BRUNHUBER: All right, Chris Patten, thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it.
PATTEN: Thank you very much indeed. Nice to talk to you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Iran says a fire at its nuclear facility was worse than initially announced. The nation's atomic energy agency says. Now, the
blaze caused significant damage that the Natanz nuclear site. Officials originally described the damage is limited. The cause of Thursday's fire
remains unknown. So is the reason behind other back-to-back industrial incidents that hit Iran over the weekend.
So for more now, we're going to go to Nick Paton Walsh from London. So what are we finding out here?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is limited information here. And you said Iran has said that it knows why this
blast at no Natanz nuclear plant occurred but it won't tell people its conclusions until that time it's more convenient to it.
[10:40:07]
WALSH: Now, of course many fingers have been pointed the possibility of sabotage here because Natanz itself was targeted by the 2010 Stuxnet
attack, the cyberattack that Israel was responsible for and that caused damage back then to centrifuge plants and appears possibly the centrifuge
plants or buildings designed to eventually produce those were hit by this fire or explosion.
Now what we know from Behrouz Makvandi, the spokesperson for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization is that there were precise machines in that particular
shed, as he called it, which were going at some point to assist Iran in advanced centrifuges. Now, that's important because since the nuclear deal,
the JCP always collapse because the U.S. reintroduced sanctions, walked out of it Iran for its parts, has said that it will go back to enriching
uranium outside of the limits that were very strictly imposed by that particular deal.
The deal says they can just above three percent enrich uranium, that's mostly only useful for research purposes. They've recently been saying they
might go as high as five percent possibly higher down the line. We don't know, frankly, how far Iran is gone in fulfilling those pledges. We do know
that the U.N. inspector for nuclear activity, the IAEA has said in a recent report that it believes it's trebled its lower enriched stockpiles and also
isn't providing adequate access to its inspectors at two locations inside Iran, Iran disputes that.
But this all adds to the general scrutiny of Iran's program in general, this explosion of fire at this part of the plant and you can see from
satellite images, the damage that was sustained, they're significant, as you said, the spokesperson for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that
came after a number of unexplained instance at other power plants or even a chlorine gas plant in the country over the last weeks or months or so.
Is there such thing as coincidence? Well, yes, but obviously, this has encouraged discussion as to may have been behind it. Israel's Defense Chief
Benny Gantz said and everything that occurs inside Iran is Israel's fault, necessarily. That's kind of his way of both saying they weren't behind it,
but could possibly behind it as well, in one short sentence. In short, the speculation will continue here but there'll be a lot of focus now on
precisely what could have been there.
What Iran could have been doing in a building like that. And of course, too, on how the nuclear deal has collapsed and sanctions are heavily
hitting Iran's economy at a time that country is still dealing with it for long protracted first wave of the coronavirus. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Intriguing situation there. All right. Thanks so much for your reporting. Nick Paton Walsh. Still to come. Prince Andrew may find himself
in trouble with his mother with a disgraced actor and then accused Jeffrey Epstein associate we're doing on the Queen's throne.
Plus, the holiday weekend in the U.S. turned deadly with shootings in several cities of crown across the country. Some of the victims weren't
just children, but we'll take a look at America's gun violence crisis coming up next.
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BRUNHUBER: A newly released photo raises more questions over Britain's Prince Andrews involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and
his alleged accomplice. U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph published this picture of Ghislaine Maxwell and disgraced actor Kevin Spacey posing on
thrones at Buckingham Palace back in 2002. The pair were reportedly invited by Prince Andrew.
The royal family has declined to comment on the photo. So our Max Foster joins us live from Buckingham Palace, that explosive new picture. Also
questions being asled. Take us through.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Buckingham Palace is not commenting on this, nor is Prince Andrew's private team that he sent set up
in recent months. So we're going on what The Daily Telegraph says about this picture. They were the first to publish it. And they say the Prince
Andrew invited Spacey and Maxwell into the throne room. And then we see the picture that resulted -- the date is back to 2002.
It's a couple of things -- a couple of things that significant here. First, it speaks to the closeness of the relationship of Prince Andrew and Maxwell
to, you know, have this opportunity to sit in the thrones. But it's obviously sent ripples through British high society because if you take the
throne as a symbol of a monarch's authority, no one else has the right to sit in it. It's seen as a sign of disrespect towards the monarch, also to
her country.
And if Andrew was in the room, facilitating this moment, it's going to be hugely frowned upon and it's even more severe. You know, this is him
showing disrespect effectively towards his mother and the head of state, but as I say, we haven't had confirmation that he was in the room or
condoned in any way. This is very much based on Telegraph reporting. But there is a history to the story, because The Sunday Times a couple of years
ago, said that this event happened, but they didn't have the picture.
We're only seeing the picture now. And again, back when The Sunday Times spoke up about this story and the fact that Spacey and Maxwell sat in the
thrones. Prince Andrew's office said he couldn't recall the occasion ever happening, which is a sort of phrase we hear from him quite often. So
whatever the truth here, the optics of it, the fact that no one's confirming or denying it, again, just feeds into this narrative that this
was a privileged pair of people who could potentially be involved in Epstein's alleged crimes, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, you know, we know Ghislaine Maxwell is meant to appear in court later this week. Any idea what we can expect?
FOSTER: We don't. Maxwell has been a very elusive figure forever but in the last year, he just hasn't taken any one's requests for comments about any
of this. So we haven't heard from her. We haven't seen much of her apart from a photo that appeared earlier in the year. So we don't know her view
on any of this. Obviously, the prosecutors and the world wants to know whether she can shed any light on the alleged crimes.
But also, the victims here involved want to hear more about what happened and they deserve a right to be heard a lot of people are saying. And they
want to hear Maxwell side of the story, she is the person most closely associated with Epstein's alleged crimes from Epstein himself. And also,
she can lift the lid on, you know, this very high society grouping which is linked to a lot of these crimes. So there's a lot we want to hear from her.
We want to know what she's going to say. And any light that she can shed on any of this.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. All right. We'll be following along. Thank you so much, Max Foster in London. Now to a wave of gun violence across the United States,
four cities are mourning tragic losses today. Here in Atlanta and multiple shootings reportedly killed four people and wounded at least 20 others.
That's according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Two of the shootings happened in the same area where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police three weeks ago, which sparked mass protests. One
of the victims was this eight-year-old Secoriea Turner. She was riding in a vehicle with her mother and another person when someone opened fire on
their vehicle. Atlanta's mayor is pleading for people to have the same passion towards ending street violence that they have for police reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D) ATLANTA: We talked a lot about what we are demanding from our officers in our communities. We protested. We've
demonstrated, we've been angry. We've cried. We've debated action. Well, now we're demanding action for Secoriea Turner.
[10:50:09]
BOTTOMS: And for all of the other people who were shot in Atlanta last night and over the past few weeks because the reality is this, these aren't
police officers shooting people on the streets of Atlanta, these are members of the community shooting each other. And in this case, it is the
worst possible outcome. And there were two other people who were actually shot and killed last night and several others. Enough is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Another child lost his life to gun violence in Washington, D.C. 11-year-old Davon McNeal was killed Saturday night on his way to a
barbecue. His grandfather says the boy and his mother had stopped to this aunt's apartment to get a phone charger. And as the boy ran into the
building, a group of young men started shooting. McNeal was shot in the head and pronounced dead the hospital.
Officials say they don't yet have any suspects or a motive. They're offering a $25,000 reward for information. And in Chicago, police say a
seven-year-old girl who was visiting her grandmother was shot dead Saturday while playing with a group of other children.
A separate Chicago shooting left a 14-year-old dead. There are among dozens of people who were shot over the weekend in the city with a total of 13
fatalities. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted this about the seven-year- old who died saying she joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun.
Formula One was the latest sport making a gesture in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. But not all the drivers elected to kneel. Find
out what Lewis Hamilton had to say on the matter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Another major sport is back in action but the action was once again not the biggest part of the story here. Don Riddell can tell us more.
Don?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: That's right, Kim. Thank you. As a Formula One season finally got started on Sunday four months later than
planned, of course because of the coronavirus. But the racing industry was totally overshadowed by the six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is
leading the charge for equality and greater diversity. Hamilton is Formula One's only black driver.
Ahead of the race he gathered along with all the other drivers to promote the message and racism. Not all of the drivers took a knee but Hamilton
declined to criticize who stood, saying the fight is about, "Equality, not politics or promotion." Hamilton's Mercedes team are racing and all black
livery this season, a prerace grid penalty meant that he finished in fourth place, but his teammate Valtteri Bottas took the checkered flag.
Afterwards, Hamilton said, I'm really, really grateful to those who did kneel along with me, I think it's still a really powerful message but
ultimately whether or not you kneel, or do not kneel, that's not going to change the world. It's a much, much bigger issue across the world. I think
everyone has a right to their own personal choice and for me personally, it was what I felt was right to do.
Meanwhile, in London, a British sprinter is accusing the Metropolitan Police of racial profiling after she and her partner were pulled over and
searched. Bianca Williams was with her partner Ricardo dos Santos and that three-month-old child when they were stopped in footage of the incident has
been posted on social media by their coach Linford Christie.
[10:55:09]
RIDDELL: Williams told the Times newspaper that she felt it was racial profiling saying, "It's always the same with Ricardo. They think he's
driving a stolen vehicle or he's been smoking cannabis. It's racial profiling." The way they spoke to Ricardo, like he was scum, dirt on their
shoe was shocking. The Met Police told CNN that they have reviewed the incident and they are satisfied that there are no issues of misconduct.
CNN is seeking the athletes involved for further comment. For many people this year, extended periods of lockdown have been concerning and
frustrating but some have spent that time learning new skills or improving old ones. Take the American golfer Bryson DeChambeau is known as the gold
scientist and he has emerged from his laboratory looking radically different. Since he last played a tournament, DeChambeau has added 40
pounds of body mass courtesy of a diet of protein shakes and pumping a lot of iron.
And he use his additional strength and power to just blow away the field at the Rocket Mortgage classic winning by three strokes. And his stance will
make worrying reading for his rivals. He's the first player since 2004 to lead a tournament in driving distance, shots gained, off the tee, and also
(INAUDIBLE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: As much as I want to be selfish. It's really not. It's the exact opposite. I wanted people to see a
different play style of the game. I knew there was an opportunity to do that. And I wanted to show people if you work hard enough, you do your
absolute best, you give everything you got, you can achieve amazing things and that's what I was able to do. And that's what we were able to do as a
team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Forty pounds, Kim. That is extraordinary. I thought I was working hard during our lockdown hiatus, but I now feel completely inadequate.
Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Don. I appreciate it. Well, Ennio Morricone, an Oscar-winning film composer has died at the age of 91. Marricone was best
known for his music featured in spaghetti westerns like, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Quentin Tarantino's Hateful Eight which won him an Oscar.
The composer recently fell and broke his leg resulting in a hospital stay in Rome where he died early this morning.
Well, thank you very much for joining me. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. And another hour of CONNECT THE WORLD is coming up in a few moments.
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