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China Imposes Sanctions On U.S. Politicians; New Zealand's Coronavirus Milestone; Lebanon Explosion Death Toll Reaches 160. Aired 10:00-11a ET
Aired August 10, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:22]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People have been pushed to such a point that they no longer have the patience or the tolerance to give their political elite
time. They want to see change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Will the Lebanese Government fall? Sources tell CNN it could be as early as today.
Then another move on the U.S.-China chessboard. China imposes sanctions on top U.S. politicians echoing President Trump's recent rhetoric.
Plus, one step forward, two steps back. A coronavirus in U.S. schools, empties classrooms once again. And 100 days free as Jacinda Ardern launches
her reelection bid. New Zealand celebrates a major coronavirus milestone.
Hello everyone. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Hala Gorani. Let's start with the latest out of the Beirut. Last week's explosion at Beirut's port
took a human toll of course and now it is taking a political tool as well. CNN has just learned Lebanon's government is expected to step down in the
coming hours. Sources tell us it will be declared a caretaker government. Three cabinet ministers have quit now, as have a number of Parliament
members.
And it follows of course that big explosion that caused so much carnage at Beirut's port last week.
GORANI: This is perhaps the clearest view, the clearest look at what happened in Beirut. A man on his terrace shot this video of the fire at the
warehouse, then the blast that sent that Shockwave across the city. Tuesday's blast has claimed now 160 lives, it wounded thousands of others
and up ended life in the entire city.
And on the streets of Beirut all weekend, protesters seething with anger, demanding change in what they call an ineffective and corrupt government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMELLA NAJAM, PROTESTER: Because if they had a bit of dignity, a bit of truth, trust and honesty, Beirut wouldn't be destroyed right now. We're
here to just show the international community what they're going through. We are facing the worst, the worst days of our lives with a government that
doesn't give one -- they don't care about us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, Ben Wedeman has been covering the blast since it happened, Ben, and let's talk first politics. Another big resignation, the finance
minister a few hours ago. Will this government last?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly what we're hearing from sources within the government is that it is going to
resign shortly. But it's important to keep in mind that two of the pillars of that government, the Shia Amal Movement, and Hezbollah, clearly are
hesitant for that to happen because this is the first government they've ever had sort of a controlling interest in.
But what we've heard from the street is that people want this government to go. This government like previous government has failed to stop the economy
from collapsing this current government but really previous governments are responsible for the fact that for six years, 2750 metric tons of ammonium
nitrate sat in the port. And even though there were various calls for it to be removed, nobody took action.
So the lack of confidence of the population isn't necessarily restricted to this particular government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab that came to power
on the 21st of January. But it is an utter lack of confidence in the state writ large, from -- everything from generating electricity, to providing
clean water. And even the streets of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh and Karantina, the neighborhood's most badly affected by this blast.
We were there yet again this morning. And what we saw were ordinary Lebanese, some people just on their own others is part of voluntary
organizations.
[10:05:06:]
WEDEMAN: They're doing the cleanup. They're doing the repair work. They're passing out sandwiches and water to the volunteers, while the state in the
form of the police and the army are sitting in the shade smoking cigarettes and drinking tea. Hala?
GORANI: Yes. Now there was a Sunday donor conference where about $300 million were pledged, but when you look at the scale of the devastation, it
looks like that might be a drop in the bucket. Do we have any kind of estimate of what it will cost to rebuild the devastated parts of the
capitol?
WEDEMAN: Well, the -- Marwan Abboud, the governor of Beirut has said that he estimates that the damage ranges between three and $5 billion that may
be a rather rosy outlook on the situation. I've seen much higher figures. And obviously $300 million is not going to go very far.
Now, the donors conference made it clear that this money, this relief should go to the Lebanese population, not via the Lebanese government,
which for its part has pledged $66 million for the relief efforts so far, which is even less than a drop in the bucket.
And therefore, you know, how long is it going to take to rebuild the damaged parts of Beirut, who's going to pay for it? It may be up to the
Lebanese people themselves yet again. Hala?
GORANI: And a quick last one, I know that the glass behind you was damaged by the explosion last week and I see you standing in the position that I
know quite well. In front of -- over Riad El Solh square. How have you managed that? How are you adjusting?
WEDEMAN: Well, you know, all of a sudden there's massive demand for repair for glass, for repairing broken doors and everything. So behind me, the
window is yet to be repaired. But we've cleared away a lot of the rubble and we're like everybody else in Beirut just trying to find the people and
the resources to minimally secure our office at the moment. You could drive a car through our front door. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Good luck with that, Ben, you and the team. Thanks so much for that reporting. And nearly a week after the devastating explosion,
some residents of Beirut are still desperately searching for loved ones lost in the rubble. The time for rebuilding is far into the future because
they have much more pressing demands. CNN's Arwa Damon spoke to one woman who hasn't heard from her husband since last Tuesday. Now she and her
family really fearing the worst, Here's their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Michelle hasn't slept in three days. Neither has her sister-in-law with whom she shares the same
name and a love for Joe, husband and brother. Michelle struggles to form words and sentences in Arabic, never mind in English. Joe is an electrician
at the port.
And this is the last video she got from him on Tuesday night. Minutes later, the entire building he was filming would explode. Jennifer, Joe and
Michelle's oldest child was in Beirut.
MICHELE ANDOUN, JOE'S SISTER: So, she heard the explosion and she start praying and shouting. This is my dad's --
DAMON: She knew that's where her dad worked?
ANDOUN: Yes.
DAMON: And the entire family was frantic calling Joe nonstop.
ANDOUN: At midnight, Joe opened his phone for 21 seconds before we heard voices, deep voices that's what he said and then nothing.
DAMON: Another call also seem to have gone through on Wednesday for 43 seconds but there was silence on the other end. He must be alive, they
thought. They had to get to him. Joe is strong, clever, he would've figured out a way to save himself. They comb through video shot by others from
other angles, looking for any clues to give teams locations to search. You think that's Joe?
ANDOUN: Yes. This is on.
DAMON: You think one of those people is Joe?
ANDOUN: Of course. Yes, we are sure. And he was filming from here.
DAMON: It's the building right in front of the grain silo. A building that is now buried. But they still had hope. There's an operations room deep
underground. They heard there are bunkers.
10:10:06]
DAMON: Three bodies were pulled up but no Joe. Maybe he's deeper in, deeper under, somehow still alive.
ANDOUN: We have to keep searching.
DAMON: Michelle was born in the U.S. The children also have American passports. Joe was just about to get his visa. All that now seems like a
different reality.
ANDOUN: He loved life in every detail. He wanted to go to America because it's better for his -- for Jennifer, for Joy, for better future but not for
him.
DAMON: The women are trying to shield the children from their grief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My shoes smelled bad so they washed me.
DAMON: Jennifer doesn't know daddy is missing. Joy is thankfully too young to fully understand. Maybe they will never have to tell the girls their
daddy is dead.
That night the fourth after the explosion, crews are searching around the clock. Searching the area where the family believed Joe would be found,
clinging to the hope that he would still somehow be alive. At 4:00 a.m., they sent is a heartbroken message. Joe's body had been found.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, so much heartbreak and grief across the city and across the country. In a show of support, Dubai's airport had a special welcome for
passengers arriving from Beirut over the weekend. The staff at the airport, handed out white roses to the arrivals with messages of solidarity.
Now the UAE is among a group of countries that have sent aid but as we were discussing with Ben Wedeman there, this is a city and a country that's
going to need billions and billions to get back on its feet.
We'll have a lot more on the Beirut explosion a little bit later in the program. And in the meantime, I want to update you on what is happening
with the coronavirus pandemic. It is still raging -- it is still raging. Globally cases are quickly approaching 20 million. And now five million of
those cases are in the United States. You can see on the chart it just took 17 days for the U.S. to go from four to five million cases. It's truly just
absolutely staggering.
For the last five consecutive days the U.S. reported at least 1000 deaths a day. It's kind of becoming the norm. A thousand plus a thousand plus
another thousand, bringing the total to nearly 163,000. Now, despite the worsening spread, many schools in the U.S. are reopening. A high school in
Georgia is under scrutiny after a photo of a very crowded hallway went viral online. This is what it was.
Students snap that photo and multiple students from that school have tested positive for the coronavirus. And CNN spoke to the student who took the
picture. And by the way, she was briefly suspended for posting it online. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH WATTERS, STUDENT WHO TOOK VIRAL PHOTO: The fact that we already have nine cases, just at the end of that week is very concerning because even
then we don't know how many people those nine people came in contact with and how many people aren't taking tests yet, so they don't know. And then
they come back possibly this week too. So it just is going to spread like wildfire and that school.
We could have delayed school so they could find more safety measures to follow in the school and they could have found more plans for all the
students and teachers and staff members, but they kind of sent us into school and used us as guinea pigs to see what would happen later on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, CNS Natasha Chen joins me now from Atlanta where she's been following this story. I mean, with these students testing positive and you
-- we've seen in the crowded hallways, is there any kind of -- our authorities reconsidering their plans to open up schools in the fall?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, there are a lot of school districts here that are have already started their school year. So
they have had to make some quick decisions, difficult decisions. In this case, the first week of school has been completed. And it was originally
planned for the students to be in the building for three days at home virtual learning for two days.
Now that's being extended, asking the students to stay home and additional two days today and tomorrow. And that gives the district time to clean this
campus to consult with the public health department and figure out their next steps. So the superintendent wrote to families yesterday saying that
by Tuesday evening, families will be notified what the plan is for instruction in the coming days.
They did mention in that letter that there could be other folks who are also positive that perhaps still waiting test results and this high school
is not alone in this situation.
[10:15:02]
CHEN: One of the middle schools in that district also now has a student who tested positive. That letters went home to those families over the weekend
as well. And in other school districts, we're seeing similar stories. Cherokee County, which is also outside of Atlanta, saw at least 19 students
and four staff members so far test positive after the first week of school in Gwinnett County, the largest school district in Georgia.
The teachers so far have been in the buildings just for preparation and training, class hasn't even started yet, but already at least 260 employees
there and that districts have either quarantined or tested positive. So a lot of this is very difficult as the school districts try to grapple with
how fast the virus is spreading, whether parents are really calling for face to face instruction, which some parents have because they have
childcare issues if they need to leave the home for work during the day.
And then of course, the teachers very concerned about being in the building. space, even if they are supposed to teach virtually, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Natasha Chen, thanks very much. Well, getting children back to school is a global issue with each country trying to make sure no
child makes out on an education. Here in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there is a moral duty to reopen schools next month
despite the threat of coronavirus. Most students in the U.K. have been at home since March, when strict lockdown measures went into place.
Nic Robertson is live in London outside a school that's preparing to open next month. All right. Let's talk a little bit about what schools are
saying what measures they're going to have to put in place in order to ensure and not just that the children don't catch COVID.
But of course, that the children and the adults around them, the support staff, the teachers, the parents who come to pick their kids up from
school, also don't catch it and then spread it into the wider community. How are they preparing?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I was talking to a teacher earlier this morning, Hala. And the concern is for them that it's
not only obviously them and partners, but it's anyone in their homes that they're going to come into contact with who is sheltering, you know,
following the government guidelines that they may have an underlying health condition or maybe particularly old.
And for that reason, there is a concern for the teachers, for the parents in this type of scenario, what the government is saying, well, they're
looking, they say at new statistics analysis that is still underway and being done internationally, Ireland, Germany, Korea, they're pointing to
countries where these studies are underway, and they say there's relatively little evidence of pupil to pupil transfer of coronavirus in the in the
young and the primary schools.
It gets worse or increase incidence of it. Junior schools are sort of 11 to 18 age group, but also said there's little evidence as well as pupil to
teacher transfer. Teachers who have made spaces in their classrooms and they're trying to create an environment where the children have in one
class or an older schools have one-year group don't mix with other classes or other year groups, staggering start time, staggering, break time
staggering meal times.
All of these efforts are underway. Head teachers' union is suggesting, for example, that the Prime Minister should have a backup plan of perhaps
teaching children in school one week and remote learning at home and another week. But we heard from the Prime Minister today at a school in
London very clearly saying this is his priority. And he wants it done. This is how I put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It's not right that kids should spend more time out of school. It's much, much better for their -- for
their health and mental well-being that obviously our educational prospects if everybody comes back to school full time in September. It's our moral
duty as a country to make sure that happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And a national priority is set as well where if coronavirus infection rates are going up as they are at the moment and he has to decide
whether or not to keep pubs and restaurants open or schools. The Prime Minister has indicated very clearly it's going to be schools that stay
open, Hala?
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. Nic Robertson. Israel's school year is now in limbo. A rush to reopen classrooms is now being blamed for a second
wave of coronavirus cases. That's coming up
Plus, Beijing's crackdown on its critics continues. This time. It's the billionaire media mogul, Jimmy Lai.
And tensions flare between the U.S. and China. There have been some high- level meetings in Taiwan and that is angering Beijing. We'll be right back.
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[10:22:02]
GORANI: China is sanctioning 11 prominent U.S. politicians for "Behaving badly on Hong Kong-related issues." Those are the words of Beijing. The
list includes Senator Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. They have both heavily criticized Beijing's new national security law for Hong Kong.
Beijing's list also includes Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth. China's move comes after the Trump administration said it would
sanction 11 Chinese in Hong Kong officials including the city's leader Carrie Lam.
Since this national security law passed in June as expected, Beijing has used it to crack down on its critics. Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was
taken into custody. He already faced multiple charges for protests last year. CNN's Will Ripley has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest setback for Hong Kong's prodemocracy movement. Police search the newsroom of Apple Daily. A paper
known for fierce support of last year's protest and fierce criticism of Hong Kong's pro-Beijing government. Police arrested the newspaper's owner.
Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai. Hauling him in handcuffs back to the Apply Daily newsroom.
Lai is one a group of people arrested on charges including colluding with foreign countries. A violation of Hong Kong's national security law.
JIMMY LAI, HONG KONG MEDIA MOGUL: With dictatorship, freedom is not free. And this is a price we have to be ready for.
RIPLEY: That price could be steep even for a billionaire like Lai. Up to life in prison, the possibility of a mainland trial hiding from public
view. Lai holds a British passport but told CNN earlier this year he decided to stay in Hong Kong. The new law came into effect less than two
months ago. Already meeting to drastic changes and freedom of the press and politics. A dozen pro-democracy lawmakers disqualified from legislative
council elections postponed to next year, the government says because of COVID-19.
TIFFANY YUEN, HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY DISTRICT COUNCILOR: I think the disqualify is ridiculously unfair to us. Many people in Hong Kong is very
disappointed because what we only want to do is protect our hometown and protect our homeland.
RIPLEY: But activities like lobbying foreign governments and voicing objections to the national security law make them unfit to run (INAUDIBLE)
says. Other arrests include a 15-year-old girl waving a pro-independence flag and students for social media posts. Pro-Beijing lawmakers hope the
security law will allow Hong Kong to calm down after last year's protest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the whole development already prove that. The way they used violence to fight for what they want is a failure.
RIPLEY: More arrests are possible, police say. They're also seeking six activists who fled Hong Kong including Nathan Law, a former lawmaker now in
London.
[10:25:09]
RIPLEY: The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association calls Monday's newsroom raid shocking and scary. The kind of thing normally seen in
developing countries but never Hong Kong, a city quickly realizing life at least for some will never be the same.
Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And China is angry about something else. Beijing has a stern warning for Washington over a meeting that took place in Taiwan. China says
the U.S. needs to stop all official contact with Taiwan or risk further damaging relationship with China. It comes just hours after the historic
between the U.S. Health Secretary and Taiwan's president where the U.S. brought a strong message of support and highlighted Taiwan's successes
namely against COVID-19.
Paula Hancocks is there in Taiwan's capital, Taipei and has conducted an important interview. Hi, Paula. Tells us what the secretary told you about
this visit to Taipei.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, in this exclusive interview one of the things the Secretary Azar was saying was
that the reason he is here was not to send a message to Beijing. Obviously Beijing is not happy about this visit at all and has made it very clear.
But they were -- he was here to learn about how Taiwan has managed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Of an island of 23 million people, they have less than 500 cases. Most of those have been imported and at least seven deaths. So clearly a very
different situation to elsewhere. But Secretary Azar did reject any comparison between the U.S. and Taiwan, between the U.S. and many other
countries. In fact he said he believe that President Trump has done a good job so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX AZAR UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: In terms of the President's historic response to the coronavirus crisis, a novel
unprecedented pandemic, we have actually been able to manage to ensure that the disease burden did not exceed our health system capacity. No American
died because of lack of a ventilator or lack of an ICU bed. And that's a -- that's a critical factor in terms of how we engaged in mitigation steps to
keep as we say, the curve within capacity.
That was the core strategy initially, to delay and flatten the curve to keep the burden within the system's capacity.
HANCOCKS: So what would you say to critics of the Trump administration who say your visit here three months before an election is political?
AZAR: My visit here is about supporting Taiwan and supporting Taiwan in the international public health community. My visit is about health. It's about
the health of the people of Taiwan. It's about the health of the -- of the American people and it's about the health of the people of the world. And
the way we protect that is by entities around the world, being transparent, cooperative, collaborative, compliant with the International Health
Regulations. And Taiwan has been a model of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: That was Secretary Azar said that he doesn't have a message to Beijing, this is the reason he's in Taiwan. He did say that he believes
that China has been politicizing the health situation, criticizing China once again for not being transparent praising Taiwan for being transparent.
Now, clearly, Beijing is angered by this visit, they believe that Taiwan is a renegade province. It's part of mainland China, that part of their
territory.
So what he has been saying is that he rejects this is part of a message to Beijing that clearly U.S.-China relations are in dire straits at this
point. This is only going to make things worse. And in fact, earlier this Monday morning just before Secretary Azar went to meet the president of Taiwan. Taiwan's defense ministry said the Chinese
fighter jets bugs the islands. Now that's not too unusual in this region where things are very tense.
But of course it's a bit different when that happens when you have such a high level of U.S. delegation here. Hala?
GORANI: OK. Paula Hancocks live in Taipei where it's 10:30 p.m. Still ahead. Anger on the streets of Beirut after the explosion last week. And
now CNN is hearing that the entire Lebanese government is expected to step down. We're live once again in Beirut. And the Capitol isn't the only place
where anger is at a boiling point. Voters in Belarus say they have been cheated by a rigged election. How protesters testers are challenging the
man often described as Europe's last dictator, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:32:17]
GORANI: An update now on the Beirut explosion and the political fallout. Two Lebanese government sources tell CNN. The entire government is expected
to step down sometime today. At least three ministers and several members of parliament already have resigned and the Prime Minister is promising to
hold early elections. The explosion last Tuesday killed at least 160 people and injured thousands more than we still very much expect that tool to
rise.
The blast created a crater reported to be 43 meters deep. I'm not talking about the diameter here but the depth alone. Beirut's governor says there
are problems identifying the bodies of some victims believed to be foreign workers. As so it might be difficult also to trace family members. Word of
the looming government upheaval comes after a weekend of sometimes violent protests in Beirut.
Demonstrators clashed with police prompting a warning from Lebanon's army to refrain from violence. Anti-government protests have been happening on
and off since the last October. The explosion only added to that anger. Sam Kiley joins me from Beirut. And protesters have been out on the street.
They were met with tear gas and all sorts of resistance from security forces. They want Michel Aoun the president to resign. They want these
politicians gone. Will they get their wish?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it may be just as we're speaking, we're seeking confirmation but the Reuters news agency and
several local TV networks are quoting the Health Minister Hamid Hassan, saying that the cabinet has just met and agreed that they would all resign
on mass and present their resignations to Michel Aoun, the president later on today.
He's anticipated to be speaking to the nation perhaps in about an hour's time. Now as I say, CNN is seeking independent verification for this but
that is certainly out there on multiple media networks. This comes, Hala, amid a steady hemorrhaging of members of parliament the -- from the hundred
and 28 seat Parliament here in Beirut since that explosion that's so tore across the city after the ignition of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate
normally a fertilizer was set off in a mysterious -- as a result of a mysterious fire.
So this is not an anticipated, but it is something that many protesters have been calling for indeed, yesterday in particular, but also the day
before when it was even more violent. They attempted to storm the Houses of Parliament here, the House of Parliament and continue to throw rocks until
about 9:00 p.m. when they were cleared from this square here by a massive show of force by the military and by the police.
[10:35:04]
KILEY: Now there's been much quieter today as the population of the Lebanon has been trying to work out. Which way the political establishment and I
think that's the key issue here, will jump if the parliament and rather the cabinet resigns and clearly there is no government. But Lebanon is used to
that since you well know. So, over the next few months potentially even after a general election which is obviously would follow there will be --
well, there has been in the past perpetual almost horse trading.
This government for example took four months to establish after the resignation of the previous administration. And amidst all of that, there
are calls for really substantial constitutional reform in this country so that one man, one vote really mean something because of course the Lebanon
has a -- what is a called communitarian constitution. It basically guarantees for the -- all many different sectarian groups here.
But many of who fought each other very bitterly 30 years ago, well then, Civil War that ended 30 years ago. It was stitched together to keep the
peace. And for many in the younger generation it is nearly now become a canopy if you like to cover up massive inefficiency, negligence and
widespread corruption, Hala.
And it's that really that they've been protecting against since October really energized though obviously by this latest what is perceived to be
the opposition especially catastrophic failure to secure the nation in what may be a gigantic industrial accident here right pretty much in the center
of the capital, Hala.
GORANI: So if the cabinet resigns basically you have a caretaker government. This would lead to any of the fundamental change that
protesters are demanding. Where does that the lead country, more of the same?
KILEY: That is the really deep concern. And not -- I must say, not just from protesters but from a number of M.P.s, very senior political figures
I've spoken to in the last 24 hours for example, Walid Jumblatt, the leader of the Druze community from a political dynasty going at least a
generation, if not two.
His father was a very prominent figure here obviously. He was saying that this country will not be able to move forward and reform itself and become
modern nation unless there is a reform of the constitution.
Now of course arguably, even his family have been the beneficiaries if that constitutions. Similarly the leader of Kataeb Party, Samy Gemayel. He was
also telling me today that although they are as a gain to a political dynasty he is firmly behind the street protest and says that we shouldn't
all be blamed for the sins of our fathers. Effectively we need to move forward and we need to reform this constitution.
But there are very deep vested interest in this constitutional structure particularly from Hezbollah which is not militarily very powerful here but
also political powerful often described as the more powerful state within the weaker state that is modern Lebanon.
GORANI: All right. Sam Kiley, thanks very much. Reporting live from Beirut. Amid violent clashes between protesters and police over a disputed vote,
Belarus selection officials are now saying the preliminary result are unlikely to change. And six-term incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko
will stay in power with a landslide victory.
But demonstrator say the vote was rigged. They showed their fury on the streets of the capitol and elsewhere Sunday night after hearing about exit
polls. About 3000 people were detained, some were injured. And that is making the E.U. nervous. It's telling Belarus "Violence against protesters
is not the answer." In Germany, says the election -- the election in Belarus and these are images from Minsk, was not democratic. Fred Pleitgen
is tracking the story from Berlin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tear gas and stun grenades right in the center of Minsk. It was shortly after the first exit polls
were announced that peaceful protesters assembled and security forces began cracking down on them. The scenes bloody and violent after President
Alexander Lukashenko vowed a hard line.
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If you provoke especially on the internet, then you get the same thing in
response. What's wrong, what's not to your liking. Do you want to try to overthrow the rule, break something, offend like you did at the beginning,
and you now expect I will kneel and kiss the sand you walked on? This is not happening.
PLEITGEN: In total, Belarusian authorities say they detained about 3000 people around the entire country for participating in unauthorized mass
events. The interior ministry also says 39 officers and 50 civilians were injured.
[10:40:04]
PLEITGEN: After the country's election commission announced that Lukashenko allegedly gained more than 80 percent of the vote while his rival Svetlana
Tikhanovskaya got less than 10 percent. The opposition says the vote was rigged and refuses to recognize the result. Tikhanovskaya vowing to battle
on.
SVETLANA TIKHANOVSKAYA, OPPOSITION CANDIDATE (through translator): I think we've already won because we overcame our fear, we overcame indifference to
politics, we overcame our apathy and indifference. Such victories are more important than all the other victories. These are very important victories
in the life of every person.
PLEITGEN: Alexander Lukashenko is often called Europe's last dictator. He's had a firm grip on power in Belarus for 26 years. But calls for change have
grown here and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who took the reins of the opposition movement after her own husband Sergei was arrested, managed to drop huge
crowds in the run up to the election, despite detentions and arrests by security forces.
TIKHANOVSKAYA: People are tired. People want change. How long can you rule the people against your will? Our president is in power as I said on T.V.,
not because the people wanted but because he doesn't want to sit down.
PLEITGEN: And Alexander Lukashenko has made clear he doesn't intend to leave power anytime soon, as European political leaders are calling for his
security forces not to use violence and allow peaceful protests, but the opposition too remains galvanized, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya insisting she
will not flee Belarus and the demonstrations will continue.
Fred Pleitgen CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Afghanistan's president has agreed to release another 400 Taliban prisoners in order to start direct peace talks with the group. They're the
last of 5000 prisoners to be freed by the government under a prisoner swap deal reached in February. The nations assembly of elders said peace talks
should start immediately after the release and they stress the need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire with the Taliban.
We'll keep an eye on that story and see if indeed that outcome is the one that emerges. Still ahead, as nations around the world struggle to contain
COVID-19, New Zealand is proving it can be done. A look at the country's rare success story and how they did it. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:47:02]
GORANI: Well as the global number of Coronavirus cases nears a staggering 20 million New Zealand is proving to be a rare success story. The country
is marking an extraordinary milestone we are -- I have to say it, we're all kind of envious. 100 days without a single local transmission. So how did
they do it and can they keep it up? Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A photo op at a grocery store, chatting with shoppers, playing with a baby. It is the picture of
success for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who kicked off her reelection campaign on Saturday, and a day later, marked 100 days without
recording a single locally transmitted case of coronavirus. A rare accomplishment in a world struggling to contain infection rates. But one
Ardern says she won't take for granted.
JACINDA ARDERN, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: Actually 100 days doesn't change anything for New Zealand. It doesn't make it any less likely. We are
still having to, of course, manage our borders very, very carefully.
HOLMES: Which is something New Zealand has done from the start. The country had its first confirmed case on February 28th, and moved quickly to stop
the spread.
ARDERN: We must go hard and we must go early. We must do everything we can to protect the health of New Zealanders.
HOLMES: Within weeks, New Zealand closed its borders, imposed a nationwide lockdown, and began a rigorous system of testing and contact tracing. That
kept the number of countries cases to just over 1500, and a death toll of 22. Though some critics say the virus was easier to contain here since it
is a remote island nation and has a population of just five million. The problem now for New Zealand is to prevent a flare up, which countries like
Vietnam and Australia are facing.
In the Australian state of Victoria, the capital Melbourne, is on lockdown after a second wave of the virus and reported 17 deaths on Sunday.
Officials say some people are not obeying the quarantine.
DANIEL ANDREWS, PREMIER OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: These rules are there for all of us, and no Victorian has the right to be able to say, oh, well, I
think I can do something that no one else is allowed to do. You've got to follow these rules.
HOLMES: Rules which have so far worked in New Zealand, where almost all restrictions, have now been lifted for coronavirus. Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Winning a sporting event is the hard part for any athlete. The easy part should be lifting the trophy, right? Well, not so much regards you
made your champion and we'll explain after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:29]
GORANI: All right. Welcome back. What used to be the last golf major of the season has just become the first to be played in 2020. And here's Don
Riddell to tell us more about that. Hi there, Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hi, Hala. Thanks very much. It was full of surprises. The leaderboard in San Francisco was stacked with some
very big names on Sunday. Some potentially very intriguing storylines. Dustin Johnson and Jason Day were among many golfers in contention, but in
the end, the trophy was lifted and almost dropped by a player that many of us had never heard of.
This is the moment that changed their life of the young American Collin Morikawa, a booming drive and the powerful 16th holder set him up for an
eagle putt. Now at one stage on Sunday, no less than seven players have a share of the lead, but Morikawa broke free of the pack when he made the
park. The 23-year-old was only playing in a major tournament for the second time in his career, but he's won twice on the PGA Tour in the previous 12
months.
And this in takes him into the top five of the world rankings. His broad smile might have been the picture of the day. Instead, this wonderful
moment is the one that went viral as Morikawa struggled to hoist the sizable Wanamaker Trophy and (INAUDIBLE) off the top. No matter he was
absolutely thrilled. And he says this is just the beginning.
COLLIN MORIKAWA, AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I'm on cloud nine. I don't know about you guys, but yeah, you know, I believed myself since day one.
But anytime you're in the conversation of the greats, you know, Jack, Rory Tiger, no matter who it is, you know, if you're in that conversation,
you're doing something well. You know it doesn't stop here. This -- I got a very good taste of what this is like what a major championship is like.
RIDDELL: European football fans are eagerly anticipating the action ahead this week where the quarterfinal stage of both the Champions League and the
Europa League tournament, and there's going to be at least one game every day this week. These are anxious times however, for Atletico Madrid ahead
of their champions league game against R.B. Leipzig on Thursday, two of their players have tested positive for COVID-19.
That news delayed their departure from the game. They'll now travel on Tuesday while the positive players will be quarantined and miss the match.
Some American sports are struggling seriously to navigate the impact of the coronavirus. The U.S. now has more than five million confirmed cases. And
the college football season which is a gigantic revenue earner is in jeopardy of being postponed.
Carolyn Manno joins us now from Boston with more. Carolyn, the cancellation here I think would be devastating and not just for sports fans, right?
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Don. For the health of the universities themselves financially. I mean, you mentioned
the revenue. And for those who might be unclear about how much money we're talking about here in college football, if you take the top 25 college
football programs in the United States, they generate over $2 billion of revenue a year and after expenses, still over a billion.
So that's why the weight of these decisions is so heavy because it's not just college football players. It's entire universities that have student
athletes who are on scholarships, who play sports who don't generate as much revenue. Everybody is going to be impacted by these decisions. And so
far the universities have been taking their time. There isn't an official decision yet on whether or not college football and fall sports are going
to be canceled.
But that's where things are trading at least according to the latest reports. We know that leaders from the five most powerful conferences
reportedly held an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss postponing the football season. This is just indicative, Don, of a fall that doesn't
have college football in it.
[10:55:01]
MANNO: As source within one of those that talks, this conference talks tell CNN that the commissioners have been meeting for months, that they're going
to continue to meet and talk. On Saturday, the mid-American conference became the first leak from the NCAA's top tier to postpone all of the
conferences, fall sports and that includes men and women's soccer, field hockey, women's volleyball, all of these things.
However, the most prominent player in college football is pushing for the season to go on as planned. That's Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
He's the likely number one NFL draft pick, he posted a series of tweets with the #WeWantToPlay. Lauren saying people are just as much if not more
risk. If we don't play players will all be sent home to their own communities where social distancing is highly unlikely and medical care and
expenses will be placed on the families if they were to contract COVID-19.
He also shared an image with the logos of the major conferences listed -- listing really what the players want to hear, Don, and that includes their
creation of a Players Association and that's key. In the meantime, Major League Baseball postponing the St. Louis Cardinals three-game series
against the Pittsburgh Pirates that was scheduled to start on Monday. A total of 17 members of the Cardinals organization, 10 players and seven
staff have been affected with Coronavirus.
The team's president of baseball operations telling CNN that one player and one staff member did go to the emergency room that neither were admitted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE SHIDT, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS MANAGER: I mean, this is real. And, and people are experiencing a lot of the symptoms that that we hear about.
They're associated with this a variety of them. Most of them are experiencing multiple ones that seem like they feel like they rotate with
them. And again, nobody's in any close to any critical shape but people are having a having to deal with some things that aren't comfortable at all and
--
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: The Cardinals have now had their last 13 games postponed. That means they'll need to play a daunting 55 games in 46 days in order to finish the
season on time, Don. And, you know, I mentioned the Players Association as it relates to college football because remember, college athletes aren't
professional athletes, so they're not afforded the same protection. And that's been a real sticking point here is that these athletes want to play.
But there are a lot of health considerations that need to come first with these leaks and ultimately making the decision that's best.
RIDDELL: And for the professional teams to it's getting really hard, 55 games in 46 days for the Cardinals. That's assuming nothing else goes
wrong. And we've already got a handful of teams who are falling behind including the Phillies in the Marlins, it's really not looking good is it
for Major League Baseball. Again, Carolyn, thanks very much for bringing us up to date with what's happening with all sports in the United States.
Hala, we'll have more sport for you in 45 minutes' time.
GORANI: All right, we'll see you soon. Thanks very much, Don Riddell. We'll be right back after a short break.
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END
