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Connect the World
Beijing Vows Retaliation For Houston Consulate Closure; Kevin Rudd: Managed Strategic Competition Between Two Powers; China Launches Exploratory Probe To Mars; Former Concentration Camp Guard Found Guilty In Germany; Athletes Voice Concerns About Olympics As Infections Rise; Tokyo Olympics Were Due To Begin This Week. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 23, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: This hour we're going to get you the very latest on the Coronavirus pandemic. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome to our
second hour of "Connect the World."
And relations between the world's two biggest economies are sinking to new lows. China and the U.S. sprinting into what seems like a diplomatic
confrontation once again in a sharp escalation which comes after the U.S. accused China of economic espionage abruptly ordering the closure of its
Consulate in Houston. China's Foreign Ministry was quick to respond vowing retaliation.
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WANG WENBIN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: The U.S. claims that China's Consulate in Houston has been engaged in activities that do not
match its status. This is entirely malicious slander.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the Spokesman also attacked the U.S. over reports that China is harboring a fugitive scientist at its Consulate in San Francisco.
Now, this string of developments comes amid a constant drip feed of disputes.
The Coronavirus pandemic, a tit for tat trade war, South China Sea, Hong Kong's national security law the list goes on. But the big picture this
hour, well, the rhetoric may seem a little deja vu, if you will. The rancor is accelerating to the edge of a cliff, it seems.
My next guest says while the Houston Consulate is a surprising mood, it fits into the fabric of the last several years. Former Australian Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd he is the President of the Asia Society of Policy Institute. He's joining us now from the Sunshine Coast in Australia. It's
great to have you. This type of rhetoric, you say, is not new. But it does feel like we are approaching a precipitous point.
KEVIN RUDD, FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Well, Becky, I think there has been a lot of debate in recent months as to whether we're on the edge
of a new cold war between China and the United States. Rather than it being a cold war 2.0, I basically see it as cold war 1.5. That is, it's sliding
in that direction and sliding rapidly in that direction. But we're by no means there yet.
And one of the reasons we're not there yet is because of the continued depth and breadth of the economic relationship between China and the United
States which was never the case in terms of the historical relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the first cold war.
That may change, but I think that's where we are right now.
ANDERSON: We haven't seen an awful lot of retaliation, nor very much of a narrative, really, from Beijing in response to some of this U.S. anti-China
narrative. What do you expect next from Beijing?
RUDD: Well, in terms of the Consulate General, I think as night follows day, you're likely to see either a rhetoric reduction in overall American
diplomatic staff numbers in China. And Consulate staff numbers or the direct reciprocal action which we have closed for example the U.S.
Consulate General in perhaps Chengdu (ph) or Wuhan or in Shenyang something like that.
But this as you said before in your introduction Becky forms just one part of a much broader deterioration relationship. I've been observing
U.S./China relationship for the better part of 35 years. Really since Nixon and Kissinger first went to Beijing in '71-'72, this is the low point - the
lowest point of the U.S./China relationship in now half a century.
And it's only heading in one direction. Is there an exit ramp? Open question but the dynamics both in Beijing and in Washington are pulling
this relationship right apart. And that leaves third countries in increasingly difficult positions.
ANDERSON: Yes. And I wanted to talk to you about that because Australia continually torn between the sort of economic relationship with China that
it has and its strategic partnership with the U.S. We have seen the U.S. to all intents and purposes leaning on the UK over Huawei. How should other
countries engage with China going forward?
RUDD: Well, one I think is to understand Xi Jinping's China is quite different from the China of Hu Jintao or Jiang Zemin or even - and since Xi
Jinping took over in 2012-2013, it's is much more assertive China right across the board and even in this COVID reality of 2020.
[11:05:00]
RUDD: We see not just the Hong Kong national security legislation. We see new actions by China in the South China Sea against Taiwan, against Japan
in the East China Sea. And in the south of Indian border and the frictions with Canada or Australia, United Kingdom you just mentioned and elsewhere
as well.
So this is a new assertive China quite different from the one we've seen in the past. So your question is entirely valid. How do, as it were, the
democracies of Asia and the democracies of Europe and elsewhere respond to this new phenomenon on the global stage?
I think it's along these lines. Number one, be confident in the position which democracies have that we believe in universal values and human rights
and democracy and we're not about to change. Number two, many of us whether in Asia or Europe a long standing ally of the United States that's not
about to change.
But number three, to make it plain to our Chinese friends that on a reciprocal basis we wish to have a mutually productive trade investment and
capital markets relationship. And four, the big challenges of global governance whether it's pandemics or climate change or stability of global
financial markets and the current crisis we have around the world where it is incumbent on all of us to work together. I think those four principles
form a basis for us dealing with Xi Jinping's China.
ANDERSON: Kevin, do you see this as a cold war?
RUDD: As I said before, we're trending that way. As I said, the big difference between the Soviet Union and the United States is that China and
the United States are deeply economically immersed and have become that way over the last 20 years or so and that never was the case in the old cold
war.
Secondly, in the old cold war, we were basically had a strategic relationship of mutually assured distraction which came to the flash point
of the Cuban missile crisis in the early '60s. That's not the case either. But I've got to say in all honesty, it's trending in a fundamentally
negative direction.
And when we start to see actions like shutting down each other's Consulate Generals that does remind me of where we got to in the last cold war as
well? There should be an exit ramp, but it's going to require a new strategic framework for the U.S./China relationship based on what I
describe as managed strategic competition between these two powers.
Where each side's red lines are well recognized, understood and observed. And competition occurs as it were in all other domains. At present we don't
seem to have parameters or red lines at all.
ANDERSON: And we might have had this discussion four or five months ago. The new layer, of course, is the Coronavirus pandemic. And the way that the
U.S. has responded which you say has provided an opportunity for the Chinese to steal a march on the U.S. with regard to its position and its
power around the world. Is Beijing, do you think - if you believe that there is a power vacuum at present after this Coronavirus response? Is
Beijing taking advantage of that vacuum?
RUDD: Well, when the Coronavirus broke out, China was by definition in a defensive position because the virus came from Wuhan. And therefore as the
virus then spread across the world, China found itself in a deeply problematic position. Not just the damage to its economy at home but
frankly its reputation abroad as well.
However, President Trump's America has demonstrated to the world that "A," his administration can't handle the virus within the United States itself.
And "B," there's been a phenomenal lack of American global leadership in dealing with the public health and global economic dimensions of, let's
call it, the COVID-19 crisis across the world.
So the argument that I'm attracted to is both these great powers have been fundamentally damaged by the Coronavirus crisis that has inflicted the
world. So the challenge for the future is whether, in fact, we "A" see a change in administration in Washington with Biden.
And secondly whether a Democratic administration would choose to reassert American global leadership through the institutions of global governance
where frankly the current administration has left so many vacuums across the U.N. System and beyond it and that remains the open question which I
think the international community is focusing on as we move towards that event in November.
[11:10:00]
RUDD: When the good people of the United States cast their ballot.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. I want to just stick to the Coronavirus for a final question for you. And thank you for this sort of wide ranging
discussion. Australia, of course, applauded for its ability to act fast and flatten its Coronavirus curve back in April.
That has all been derailed. We've seen a second wave. It's worse than the first. Early this week the country reporting its worst day since the
pandemic began despite tough new restrictions. What do you believe it will take to flatten the curve again? And are you concerned that the situation
in Australia is slipping out of control?
RUDD: Look, the situation in the State of Victoria, the City of Melbourne in particular demonstrates what we see in so many countries around the
world which is the ease with which a second wave effect can be made manifest.
It's not just, of course, in Australia. We see evidence of this in Hong Kong. We see it in other countries where, in fact, the initial management
of the crisis was pretty effective. What the lesson of Melbourne and lesson of Victoria is for all of us is that when it comes to maintaining the
disciplines of social distancing or proper quarantine arrangements, as well as contract tracing and the rest that there was no, as it were, release of
our discipline applied to these challenges.
And in the case of Victoria, in Melbourne it was simply a poor application of quarantine arrangements in a single hotel or Australians returning from
elsewhere in the world that led to this community level transmission.
And that can happen in the northern parts of the United Kingdom. It can happen in regional France. It can happen anywhere in Germany. What's the
message, vigilance across the board until we can eliminate this thing? We've still got a lot to learn from Jacinda Ardern's success in New Zealand
in virtually eliminating this virus altogether.
ANDERSON: With that we're going to leave it there. Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister of Australia, it's always a pleasure. Thank you very much, indeed,
for being with us.
RUDD: Good to be with you.
ANDERSON: Extremely involved in the subject, U.S./China relations at present, thanks. Let's bring in David Culver from Beijing. Mr. Rudd
describing the U.S. and China as trending towards a cold war, is that how Beijing sees events?
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That has been mentioned here several times, Becky, over the past few months. And you just showed that list of
U.S./China conflict the issues that both these countries are dealing with and pointing fingers at each other.
More so the U.S. right now calling out a lot of the issues that they perceive going on right here in China. And it's interesting to hear it from
Mr. Rudd's perspective because obviously Australia, Canada, the U.S., the UK, four of the five, five eyes so to speak, who are really seemingly being
challenged by China right now in how they're going to respond to several of these issues?
But where I would say that Beijing diverts from that a bit is the characterization from the west is that it's an assertive China. China has
come out to say this is not us asserting anything. Rather it's a defensive China. They certainly put that perspective with regards to what's going on
in the border with India in the Himalayas with regards to the South China Sea and even in Xinjiang.
Further to say that look this is not an international issue. Particularly with what's happening in Hong Kong and in Xinjiang with the Uighurs. This
is China's domestic affairs, its internal affairs keep that out of our business essentially is how they portrayed this.
And with regards to you know the tough words I mean obviously the rhetoric are one thing. But now it's looking at action. I think state media here and
certainly it seems the nationalist push is that they would have to take substantive action with regards to the most recent incident of the closure
of the Houston Consulate.
And that would look like as you heard Mr. Rudd there say a closure of one of the U.S. Consulates. But then do they go a step further because there
are several other things that they had not yet responded to in action that could come down the line.
But it's - you know, Mr. Rudd mentioned that exit ramp. Where is it between U.S. and China and the relations here? It's possible that they're looking
at that exit ramp in November, the election. But that doesn't necessarily mean things are going to go back to a reasonable relationship.
Because it seems that there is bipartisan support in the U.S. in particular in confronting China on many of these issues. Now it may shift from the
Trump Administration pushing the economic concerns and the intellectual property theft and such and Biden focusing more on national security,
Becky.
[11:15:00]
ANDERSON: I'm just wondering whether in Beijing there is a sense - I'm thinking back sort of midway through last year when we saw the first of a
number of stages of the U.S./China trade deal signed. Donald Trump went on to say that we wouldn't see the next phase until after the November
election in 2020.
We're a hundred days out as you rightly point out. There must be calculations going on in Beijing about the possibility of a new
administration or, indeed, a second administration under Donald Trump. I just wonder. What went wrong between the signing of that first deal and
now?
CULVER: I think all eyes would point to at this point the pandemic. I mean, the outbreak changed everything. I go back to mid-January and it was
January 15th that phase one was signed and it was inked and shortly thereafter, in fact eight days after that that's when Wuhan went on
lockdown, the unprecedented lockdown.
So things changed rapidly at that point. But it's so delicate, the relationship here between the two countries. Because as you pointed out
with Mr. Rudd, there's this economic tie that is very difficult to sever and in fact, as China and the U.S. are battling on many of these issues, we
know that China is also making significant purchases in agriculture.
So some of these things are continuing to happen amidst all of these other controversies because that's just the reality of the relationship here,
it's multifaceted and there are several different things they have to balance.
Not to mention there are internal pressures here as well that President Xi faces. And so he knows quite well that he can't be necessarily as reactive
and assertive with the U.S. that he has to almost play in many ways the victim in some places and say this is just the U.S. overextending its
position and power.
ANDERSON: If you had told me that that signing had been January of 2019, I would have believed you. How the world has changed in six months?
CULVER: Remarkable, yes.
ANDERSON: You know I can see the images of the two of them standing together. As if it were yesterday and yet as I say, things are so different
today. Thank you, sir.
CULVER: Yes, you're so right.
ANDERSON: David Culver is in Beijing, terrific analysis. China declaring the launch of its first solo mission to Mars a success. The rocket took off
on Thursday and is expected to reach Mars in February around the same time that the UAE's will. That launched of course you'll remember just a few
days ago.
CNN's Ivan Watson reports now on how the rivalry between China and the U.S. is playing out in outer space?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Space a final frontier.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For more than 60 years, nations have competed to see who can be first to go where no one has gone before? The
country that leaps ahead in the great space race gets bragging rights and so much more.
The Soviet Union shocked the world when it launched Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit the earth in 1957 and followed up with an even bolder
feat in 1961 putting the first human in space Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
The Soviet's successes embarrassing for the United States already in the throes of the cold war with the USSR. Gagarin's accomplishment prompted
U.S. President John F. Kennedy to famously declare his vision of putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
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WATSON: And go to the moon they did in what would be the defining moment that led to U.S. dominance in space exploration for more than 50 years. It
may have been late to the game, but China is now hoping to change that as part of its 13th five-year plan that singles out space exploration as a top
research priority.
Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has invested billions of dollars in its space program. And in 2016, Wu Yanhua, the Deputy Chief of China's National
Space Administration declared our overall goal is that by around 2030 China will be among the major space powers of the world.
Now just four years later and fresh from the success of being the first nation to send a rover mission to the far side of the moon, China is
looking to raise the competitive bar with its first mission to Mars.
The scientific team behind the China Tianwen-1 which means quest for heavenly truth says their probe is different because it is, "Going to
orbit, land, and release a rover all on the very first try and coordinate observations with an orbiter".
[11:20:00]
WATSON: This is unlike NASA which launches its Mars missions in stages and plans to send its seventh Mars mission later this month. If successful,
China's Tianwen-1, NASA's Perseverance, and the United Emirates' Hope the Arab World's first interplanetary mission will all three reach the red
planet in February 2021
And while scientists look to work together to uncover the planetary secrets of Mars, China and the U.S. have put their space programs into overdrive
signaling more competition between these rival superpowers each hoping to pull off the biggest breakthrough in space exploration. Such as putting a
man or a woman on Mars perhaps as early as the 2030s both hoping to be the first--
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It boldly go where no man has gone before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
ANDERSON: Still ahead, Benjamin Netanyahu has survived a host of controversies hasn't he? But could Israel's response to COVID-19 be the
final nail in his political coffin? The latest from Jerusalem is up next.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the day that Israel is becoming dictator.
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ANDERSON: Strong words from an Israeli protester furious over the government's handling of the Coronavirus crisis and other controversies
surrounding the country's Prime Minister. Demonstrations turned violent this week with thousands of people gathering outside parliament and outside
the home of Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used water cannons and mounted officers to break up the crowd.
Well, CNN's Oren Liebermann is live in Jerusalem for us where a protest is scheduled to take place in about an hour time. If it's anything like those
protests that we have seen off late, it could be quite nasty, Oren?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It could get that way. Police have been quick to point out for the most part until midnight or so 95 percent of the
people are following the rules and peacefully protesting. It's after that point where some of these protests and we saw it on Tuesday night and we've
seen it other times have deteriorated and quickly.
And that's when you see the clashes between some of the protesters, the demonstrators late night, and police. As of right now, we're in the early
stages of this protest. You can see here behind me police have actually created a sterile space in the middle here outside the Prime Minister's
residence.
This obviously is the anti-Netanyahu side. Largely - anti-corruption protest. But as these protests have continued, they have grown in their
scope. That is, there are other reasons people are angry here. There are signs here about economic frustration.
We've seen other protesters here as well. Social workers, restaurant workers that public frustration with the government's handling of the
Coronavirus crisis with the Netanyahu's handling of the Coronavirus crisis has grown and continues to grow with more protests scheduled not only for
tomorrow night but through the weekend.
[11:25:00]
LIEBERMANN: And I expect we'll see more of those as this continues. Worth pointing out on the other side, there is also a pro-Netanyahu
demonstrations going down here. That's why they created a sterile area to keep one side away from the other here. But this has been the focal point
of the protests.
This is all put more and more pressure on Netanyahu. Let's not forget in the middle of all this there's still a Coronavirus crisis and Israel's
numbers continue to - skywards surge. Another record on Wednesday Israel hit more than 2,000 cases for the first time, 2,032 to be exact. That's the
level where the Health Minister suggested this country may have to return to a lockdown to get this under control.
Meanwhile serious cases and a number that is just as troubling have nearly quadrupled since the beginning of the month. Netanyahu about 4.5 months
after this started here in Israel has finally appointed a Coronavirus CZAR. That happened as other candidates for the position refused to take it
fearing they'd be given none of the responsibility and none of the blame.
Meanwhile Becky, this confusion and chaos about what's allowed and not allowed, disagreement within the government, disagreement between the
cabinet and the Knesset all of that continues as Israel tries to get back to where it was in mid-May with only a handful of Coronavirus cases a day.
That Becky now seems like a world away.
ANDERSON: Is there any sense that these protests are going to stop any time soon?
LIEBERMANN: Eventually, look. They'll have to stop. But as of right now, there's no indication that this anger is going away, that this anger is in
some way diminishing. That noise that you hear by the way incredibly loud as it is, is police officers here setting barriers around where the
protesters will be allowed to go and where they will not.
This was just a handful of the security you're seeing around this. The protests have grown in size. You've seen them go from hundreds to
thousands. We did see a protest in Tel Aviv with more than 10,000 people and they have grown in scope.
Not only about anti-corruption as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an upcoming trial on bribery - and brought about economic frustrations,
it's driven by fear financial future and confusion about if the government has a plan and what that plan is for getting Israel through this?
ANDERSON: I know Oren, I hope you can still hear me, but it's fascinating to see what's going on behind you. I want you to just stay with me for a
moment. What's the profile of the protesters who are there out on the street and those who have been protesting these past weeks? I mean, how old
are we talking about? Who is it that is hitting the streets to make this noise?
LIEBERMANN: Everybody. There's no certain profile exactly who is protesting here. The protest in many ways spread across the society and it's not just
in Jerusalem. We're seeing them in Tel Aviv and elsewhere.
Take a look here this is from young to old from teenager to elderly here protesting Netanyahu, protesting perhaps the government's handling of the
Coronavirus crisis. So it continues. Does Netanyahu still have strong support? Yes. He has rock solid loyalty from his base. That's what he's
relying on.
In that sense, the part of this protest that's anti-corruption, anti-BB doesn't worry him. It's not somebody who is going to vote for him anyway
but as it expands to protesters about economic frustrations, protesters are afraid of their financial future that could damage Netanyahu very much.
ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann is there outside parliament. Oren, thank you. Still ahead, 75 years after the end of World War II, a former concentration
camp guard is finally convicted for his crimes. Details on what could be the last Nazi era trial in history. That is coming up.
Plus Tokyo counts down to the rescheduled Olympic Games just one year out as Japan itself deals with a rise in Coronavirus cases.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. Its half past 7:00 in the UAE. This is "Connect the World" from your Middle East Broadcasting Hub here in Abu Dhabi. The U.S.
on the verge of 4 million Coronavirus cases and the country's top infectious disease experts says we'll see a lot more cases. The virus, he
says, is here to stay.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We are certainly not at the end of the game. I'm not even sure
we're halfway through. We ultimately will get control of it. I don't really see us eradicating it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this as the nation records more than 1,000 new cases for the second straight day. It's spreading so fast we've seen more cases in
the past two weeks than we did in all of June. Well, a Former Concentration Camp Guard has been found guilty in what could be one of the last Nazi
trials in history.
The man identified only as Bruno D was convicted to thousands of counts of being an accessory to murder at a German operated camp in Poland during
World War II. Well, the 93-year-old faced juvenile court since he was 17- years-old when the atrocities were committed.
He was given a two-year suspended prison sentence. CNN's Melissa Bell has been following this story for some times. She's in Paris. What happened at
the trial, Melissa?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was an extraordinary trial brought in the end by 40 co-plaintiffs who brought their very important testimony of
everything they'd seen that stood half concentration camp in which he had been a guard.
This is all such a long time ago, of course, Becky that it is crucial that those voices come back and say what it is that they remember. That camp is
now what - in what is now modern day Poland.
They brought the case as a result we already have a big change in German law. It was a 2011 case that set a landmark, really, that showed that
people who had been involved in the camps like this particular SS Guard could be tried without being shown to have been individually and personally
involved in death.
So what this particular trial managed to show which led to this conviction and sentencing today, Becky, is that he was - bore responsibility of aiding
and abetting the murder of some 5,000 people in that camp.
And I think that is crucial. Because in a sense, it forces justice to be brought to people who until now had not been able to see justice brought
because they may not have been personally involved because the records were too old. Because proofs could not be brought that can now be shown as part
of a system.
And that is what happened today. So, an important case also because as you mentioned, this 2011 landmark case has allowed other cases to be
investigated. We are told by German authorities there are some 14 underway. But given the age of those accused, the age of those witnessing, it is very
unlikely that we'll see another trial like this again.
ANDERSON: What have survivors been saying, Melissa?
BELL: Becky, this was - the case was, of course, involving the Stutthof Concentration Camp. And what we've been hearing from relatives of some of
those co-plaintiffs over the course of the day and reaction to this sentencing, what we've been hearing from German Jewish leaders is that,
yes, this is an important milestone.
Of course it is important to justice. But it is a symbolic justice because justice was not brought to so many. But the point is made again and again
is that, what counts is the detailing of these crimes.
Imagine for 5,000 deaths to be linked to this particular guard, the meticulous work that was carried out to show exactly the system that it
happened at this concentration camp. How this murderous machine had carried out what it was doing?
[11:35:00]
BELL: And I think it is that, those voices, the collection of witness statements that needs to be heard. We covered earlier this year the 75th
Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. Of course this particular guard was at Stutthof, a different concentration camp.
But I'd just like to give you an example of how important it is to listen to the voices of those who were actually there? 75 years since the
liberation, you're talking about people who were children and who are now extremely elderly. Have a listen to what this survivor of Auschwitz, a Zigi
Shipper had to tell us about what he remembered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZIGI SHIPPER, AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU SURVIVOR: The screaming at night was just unbelievable. We still didn't understand why they didn't kill us and be
finish? Why did we have to suffer so much? The guards came over to them and ask them to put the baby down. She wouldn't do it. So they tried to rip
that baby out of her arms. And if they didn't succeed, they shot the woman and sometimes the baby as well. Why kill babies?
(END VIDOE CLIP)
BELL: It is those particular memories, Becky, those of the ones who actually lived through the concentration camps, who survived the holocaust
who can tell of what they saw? Who can speak of what was committed also in camps like Stutthof that we were hearing about over the course the last two
days as a result of this trial?
65,000 people died in Stutthof. And as a result of what happened today, some of those voices still alive that remember were able to explain exactly
what they knew? What they saw of this system that was designed to annihilate an entire people, Becky?
ANDERSON: Yes, that's absolutely remarkable. Melissa, thank you. Melissa Bell on the story. We're taking a short break; we'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Call to earth. A call for action for the environment. To share solutions to critical issues like global warming, deforestation, or plastic
waste. It's long term poverty for all of us at CNN to work with you and the audience to drive awareness and inspire change that we can help engineer a
sustainable future.
Well in this week's "Call to Earth" report, we catch up with an all female scientific research mission studying plastic pollution while sailing around
the world.
[11:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY PENN, CO-FOUNDER EXXPEDITION: Days longer exceed you just have this opportunity to really connect with nature to - sails for the changes in the
environment around you to then find that we're impacting our planet in the way that we now know is really heart breaking. I'm Emily Penn Co-Founder of
Exxpedition. A series of all women sailing voyages. We're currently sailing around the world looking at plastic and toxic pollution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Around 8 million tons of plastic wastes enter the oceans every year. A common misconception is that it floats on the surface
at Plastic Island but in fact plastics break down into smaller pieces could micro-plastics and the vast majority is invisible to the naked eye. Emily
has been working for years to highlight the abundance of plastics in the oceans. The expedition she leads travel to waters around the world to study
how plastic is distributed and how it accumulates?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENN: This very important bit of equipment right here is our - this is a piece of equipment that we actually put over the side of the boat using
this pinnacle pole to deploy it to collect our scientific samples.
The reality is the plastic breaks down quite quickly from the UV rays from the sun, the wind, and the waves break up into these tiny fragments, micro-
plastics. They are smaller than your little fingernail and we now know that there are over 5 trillion of them floating on the surface of our ocean and
probably many times that that have sunk to the depths.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's already a lot in that layer. Look at that.
PENN: That's a lot of plastic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At least some level of plastic can be found in every ocean on the planet, but it accumulates in the ocean's giant large systems
of circulating currents. Dangerous manmade chemicals can also accumulate there. And these persistent organic pollutants find the plastic in the
water. They enter the food chain after being mistaken as food by marine life rising up until the plastics reach their peak the human body.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENN: We chose 35 of these toxic chemicals that are banned. We found 29 of them in my body. They mimic our hormones and stop important chemical
messages moving around our body. And realize that actually being a woman having those chemicals inside my body during pregnancy would be really bad
news.
And so I thought, wow. This issue is actually quite a female centered issue. So why not tackle it with an amazing team of women? And so
Exxpedition was born.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exxpedition's most recent voyage is nearly halfway through circumnavigating the earth exploring plastics and toxin levels in
the ocean. By the end it would have travelled to four of the ocean's largest gyres.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENN: So much of our own impact on this plastics issue on ocean it really starts with our daily choices particularly our single-use plastic
consumption. We are finding bottle tops. We're finding plastic bags. We're finding all those things that's being used once and then thrown away. If we
can do without it, then let's not use it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRESON: Let's not. We'll continue showcasing inspirational stories as part of the initiative at CNN and let us know what you are doing to answer
the call with the #CALLTOEARTH. I'm going to take a very short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And Saudi Arabia's King Salman is recovering from a
successful surgery to remove his gallbladder. That's according to state media who said, the 84-year-old King was admitted to the hospital earlier
this week for testing. State media also says he will spend some time in the hospital to receive treatment.
Well, France is giving a helping hand to some of its most vulnerable. The government says 7 million on the threshold of poverty will be sent reusable
face masks to help them fight COVID-19. This way the country announced everyone must wear a mask in all enclosed public spaces or face a fine of
around $150.
Well, Iraq has now surpassed 100,000 cases of COVID-19 according to the Health Ministry in the country. And more than 4,000 people have died there
and more than 2,000 new cases were recorded each day since the end of June.
Well, Japan has set a new national record for the number of Coronavirus cases in a single day. Officials say nearly 800 new cases were recorded on
Wednesday along with one death. Hard hit Tokyo confirmed more than 230 cases.
Well, this as the country counts down one year until the next rescheduled Olympics putting many athletes' long-held dreams further on hold. CNN spoke
to two of them about whether it's right to go ahead with the games.
KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: They met at camp when they were just 12-years- old. Junna Tsukii from the Philippines and Gakuji Tozaki from the U.S. travelled the world together in pursuit of gold until COVID-19 stranded
them in Japan. Separated from their national teams and their families, they decided to stick together to try and qualify for the Olympics by next year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAKUJI TOZAKI, KATA KARATEKA, TEAM USA: When I started when I was 9, my sensei told me karate is going to be in the Olympics. Karate is going to be
in the Olympics. All these Olympics came, we never got in. Finally 2020 in Tokyo we got in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENJOJI: But with one year to go, what Tozaki thinks about most are the tens of thousands of people testing positive for the virus at home in America.
He and his training mate Tsukii questioned whether the games should be held at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUNNA TSUKII, KUMITE KARATEKA, PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TEAM: Forcing the Olympics above everything else breaks my heart. The Karateka says, people
at home in the Philippines are losing jobs and fighting to stay alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENJOJI: It's a sentiment echoed by many in Japan as they organizers say they are determined to go ahead. Less than 25 percent of respondents of one
poll this week said they thought the games should proceed. More than 70 percent wanted it cancelled or postponed again.
Even though Japan has fared much better than most in containing the virus, there's a growing feeling that Japan should be focusing more of its energy
and money on battling COVID-19. After seven years of hoping that the Olympics might be a cure all, many fear it might be more of a hindrance
than a help.
No fans are being let in tonight to watch a short video at the new national stadium. Instead they're being told to stay home to wonder will we travel
again. Will a vaccine be ready? And will athletes from America where the virus shows no signs of abating be allowed to attend? Kaori Enjoji for CNN,
Tokyo.
ANDERSON: Well, this was supposed to be the week for celebration for Tokyo when Japan would open its doors to the world and launch what would have
been the 2020 games. So now we've got to look forward to next year.
Until then you can revisit the last 20 years of magical moments, start the games where athletes become legends. Do visit that piece at cnn.com. Before
all that Olympics magic, a bit of incredible news on football ahead. I must get my teeth in it. It was a moment to savor for Liverpool Football Club on
Wednesday as the reds lifted the Premier League Trophy for the first time in the club's history.
We are joined by Don Riddell. Don, Liverpool are now on 96 points. And that number is especially significant to the team and its fans, why?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Absolutely right, Becky. Every Liverpool supporter is aware of the awful Hillsborough Stadium disaster where 96
Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed and crushed behind the goal. And those 96 have always been on the minds of everybody associated with the
club.
[11:50:00]
RIDDELL: The Premier League title has proved elusive for the Reds in the last 30 years. So, what are the chances that there are 96 points when they
finally get their hands on the silverware? In fact, Liverpool's home grown star Trent Alexander-Arnold pointed it out. It's almost as if it was meant
to be. Let's talk about the game last night. That was incredible too.
One of their best performances of the season came when they didn't even need it. A 5-3 win against Chelsea in what was Liverpool's final home game
of the season. The Reds had already wrapped up the title in record time last month, but they put on a show here against another top four side.
And they shared out the goals between them with half of the team getting on the score sheet. It seemed as though Liverpool had run out of steam after
clinching the title, but this was a very clear reminder of what they're capable of.
And it certainly got everybody in the mood to receive the trophy afterwards. By the way, Liverpool had urged their fans to stay away from
the stadium on Wednesday. That was a request to try and protect the community from further spread of the Coronavirus.
But as you can see, several thousand still showed up. The police made nine arrests. In an official statement the club thanked the supporters who had
stayed at home but expressed disappointment of those who did not.
It is now past midnight in Japan and that means it is Friday, July 24th the day that the Olympic Games should have got started. As you know, the games
have been delayed until next year because of COVID-19.
We've been speaking with the Double Decathlon Gold Medalist Ashton Eaton about this unusual situation. He's now retired from the sport, but he has
some exciting plans for the future. He told Coy Wire that the delay right now might actually be a good thing for some of the athletes.
ASHTON EATON, TWO TIME USA OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: One thing that sport really taught me which applies to this scenario is challenges cause growth.
And vice versa. Growth is a challenge.
The Olympics now a year later, I think it's just one of those situations where two things could probably happen. You could be extra hard on yourself
and say, I'm going to use this time to double down, or you could say I'm going to use this time to actually take step back and rest a little bit.
Both mentally and physically and get ready at a later date and kind of slow my cadence. I think that's probably the approach I would have taken myself.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Who are all the athletes and events you're looking forward to watching at the Tokyo games?
EATON: Yes, I don't want to pick favorites, because I love all sport really. Every athlete in every sport is just super unique in their own
rights. And it's really like art. You're watching somebody who has a unique ability and unique gift to put their body and mind to the test. I am
definitely partial to track and field, for sure.
WIRE: I'm looking forward to watching Simone Biles.
EATON: Yes, I've met Simon. And she is just - you can feel the power when you stand next to her. You can just feel her body has so much energy. It's
wild.
WIRE: The Olympic Games, my favorite event to cover. Because you quite literally see the power of sport and that it can bring people from all
walks of life, different backgrounds together to celebrate and hug. How do you think athlete demonstrations at the Olympic Games could help raise
awareness around the world for certain issues?
EATON: There are very few things that bring the entire world together. I think the postal system, the internet you know maybe the space station is a
good example of kind of a global collaboration and partnership. But the Olympic Games really is the pinnacle of that especially to celebrate human
performance.
Whatever athletes choose to do, I think we just hope it's in the spirit of the Olympic Games which is, you know, peaceful and having the globe in
mind, if you will.
WIRE: Since your transition from sport, from being a decathlete, the decathlete on the entire planet, what have you been up to since you hung up
your cleats?
EATON: So after transitioning from sport, that I was always interested in science and technology. And I had the opportunity - actually I was
presented with the opportunity to join the Intel family. And the project that I'm working on particularly, we are focusing on two things. Human
performance and celebrating sport through kind of more advanced understanding.
And the way we're doing that is, we are taking camera systems, aiming them at athletes or a certain event in track and field and we are able to - with
just cameras, no sensors get the skeletal data when athletes are on motion.
And truly fascinating about that is for the first time we're able to know precisely what the body is doing. And so, we hope to show that's kind of
information through a broadcast and relate to some story telling.
RIDDELL: Technology sounds really, really cool. Becky, that's all we've got time for just now. But just a few notes for your diary. Juventus could
clinch yet another Serie A Title with of course Cristiano Ronaldo on their team later today.
And I'm sure you're already excited for the weekend. Sunday is the last day of the Premier League and so much still at stake. For example, Leicester
against Manchester United in the last game. The winner gets to play in the Champion's League.
[11:55:00]
RIDDELL: They might both get to play in the Champion's League. Chelsea are playing Wolves. Chelsea are not guaranteed in top four finish that could be
a very, very tough game for them and of course these games at the bottom to decide who goes down. So even though there won't be any supporters in the
stadiums, we're all kind of getting used to that now.
ANDERSON: Yes.
RIDDELL: Potentially still a very, very exciting day of Premier League action.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. I guess as a football fan I'll say thank goodness it's back and that we actually got to finish the season. Right?
Because as you rightly point out, it couldn't be more exciting this season despite the fact that some of us can't actually go to the games.
I think I said to you earlier on this week, you know, when you got this sort of ambient noise as you're watching, it does make a difference when
you can actually sort of sense a crowd. I'm not sure how they do it? In fact you should look into it. The moment you can look into it first--
DON: Very cool out there.
ANDERSON: --it's remarkable. It really makes the atmosphere so much better when you're watching as a fan. He is absolutely right. It's going to be a
terrific last weekend for anybody who supports a team in the EPL. All right. Thanks, Don.
This hour we have connected you to the world as it is and the world as it will be. As it appears to be heading by many motions to an extraordinary
confrontation between China and the United States thrown into overdrive by the start of the Coronavirus pandemic and well as you think of all of that.
So we leave you with China taking a new step in its space program on a voyage to Mars. Stay safe. See you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
