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Connect the World

Hundreds Of People Rescued From Fast-Spreading Fires; Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Out Of A Coma; Storm Lashes Japan As Typhoon, Now Over Koreas. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 07, 2020 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:24]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Record hate and raging wildfires. More than two million acres have burned this year. The most ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hear the roar of Mother Nature, America's Golden State inflames this hour.

Also, India overtakes Brazil with its COVID-19 cases now, the world's second worst affected country in the world.

And the world's number one male tennis superstar has been disqualified from the US Open. What got him tossed out is just the head.

It's 7:00 a.m. in California, 7:30 in Delhi, 6:00 p.m. Here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome to what is our expanded edition of

CONNECT THE WORLD. All the big picture this hour. The fury of the global climate crisis on full display in California, which is now enduring scenes

like this. Wildfires is scorched 850,000 hectares across the state this year. That's more than two million acres, 10 times the size of New York

City.

And the most ever in California in one year with almost four months to go. More than 20 wildfires are now burning across California some spreading so

fast. They are trapping everyone in their path putting extreme strain on firefighters and other emergency officials now face with the jewel task of

putting out the flames and rescuing people in harm's way. Well, the raw power of these fires cannot be described in words.

Numbers on this scale can be numbing. But remember, this could happen to you. Jeremy Remington was camping at a popular recreation site with his

family celebrating his mom's retirement. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by a wall of flames. The only road out cut off. The family tried

to escape on their boat, but they ended up being among more than 200 people who were eventually airlifted out. Remington talks about the ordeal forever

seared into their memories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY REMINGTON, AIRLIFTED TO SAFETY ALONG WITH FAMILY: Just wanted to show you if we make it out of this (INAUDIBLE) we are completely trap with

this fire on our sides all around us, all the roads are burnt. They are everywhere. Bunch of us are stranded here and supposedly there's a -- well,

we have no cell phone reception and supposedly there's nobody coming. Anyway, I hope (INAUDIBLE) home safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: It's being reported they were airlifted to safety. CNN's Kyung Lah is in the area. One of the area's hits hardest by these fires. Kyung,

what's the latest on the ground where you are?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, what you can see behind me is this intense smoke. The entire hillside is covered with smoke. You can see those

flames bursting out underneath. This is a 7000-acre fire. 7000-acre plus. There are some 600 personnel on the ground trying to contain this fire. But

so far there's only five percent containment. So very much a robust fire churning in these hills.

And all of this started by accident. This was sparked at a party of family use pyrotechnics in order to have a gender reveal party. And that's what

started this intense wildfire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Rare and deadly heat at more than 120 degrees. Bone-dry winds exacerbating flames and almost 2.1 million acres burned. California's

wildfires this year have become the worst in state history, and it is only September.

A rapidly-spreading fire tore through the Sierra National Forest, trapping hundreds of people at a recreation area.

TYSON POGUE, MADERA COUNTY SHERIFF (via phone): And the situation only can be described as just hellish conditions out there for those poor people.

LAH: At least 224 were rescued after the Mammoth Pool Reservoir area after the Creek Fire blocked the only road out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of deteriorating weather conditions, they ended up using great and sound judgment by allowing as many people as they could

possibly fit on the helicopter on the second turn.

[10:00:02]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And safely evacuated all of those, and then wanted to make an attempt for a third turn to get the remaining personnel out.

LAH: About 20 evacuees had injuries, from broken bones to burns. Two were carried out on stretchers.

Hiking nearby, Julianna Park said the fire moved in so fast, a forest ranger instructed them to drive through it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just keep going.

JULIANNA PARK, ESCAPED WILDFIRE: And it was actually per her instruction that we drove through that fire. She said it was the only way down, and it

hadn't yet crossed the road and that we just had to drive through it. I think if we had stayed just ten minutes more, we might not have been so

lucky.

LAH: From Friday night until Sunday morning, the Creek Fire alone burned 45,000 acres, even with hundreds of firefighters and air drops, the fire

remains at zero percent containment, out of control.

California's governor urged residents to conservative energy to avoid power surges and rolling blackouts. Gavin Newsom's office tweeted steps, asking

Californians to conserve energy.

And this is all happening amid a pandemic. The Cal Guard's 95th civil support team set up a mobile laboratory for COVID-19 tests, as rescuers try

to work safely.

Through the merciless challenges, California's rescuers remain positive and continue to push ahead.

SKY CORNELL, SPOKESMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE: Wherever you have conditions that are in the three digits and they're across so many

different areas within our jurisdiction, within L.A. County Fire, you know, you're always going to be on edge a little bit. But this is something that

we prepare for. This is something that we train for. This is something that we're ready for. And we'll handle that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: And we are still weeks away from the peak of fire season. That's usually in October or November here in the State of California. And Becky,

a little perspective on this. The temperatures are expected to be cooler today to help firefighters as they battled this wall of fire. But those

temperatures are still expected into the 95, 98-degree Fahrenheit range. So, still very, very hot but a little cooler than this weekend. Becky?

ANDERSON: Yes. Which is somewhat of a reprieve of course. Psychological trauma of being trapped by a wall of fire, Kyung, is unimaginable. What

more are we hearing from those campers rescued over the weekend?

LAH: You know, they tell a terrifying tale because they were just airlifted out of there. They were crouched together, hiding near a boat slip. This is

an area where you would normally launch a boat into the water. Some of them had broken bones, some of them had fire burns. And so, this is something

that I've rarely ever seen out of this area where people are physically airlifted out of an area and then taken to an airport.

And this is a recreational area where you normally are of boating, camping, you know, swimming. And so, it is an extraordinary experience for the

people who went through this.

ANDERSON: Kyung Lah is reporting. Thank you. Well, Chad Myers is at the CNN World Weather Center for us. Chad, just how fast are these fires moving?

CHAD MYERS, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Some of these can eat up a soccer pitch and 30 seconds. There are -- they are really, really moving quickly. We have

over 80 large, active wildfires in the American West. And there are a number of considerations on why this is happening.

There's a drought out here. Climate change obviously has something to do with that as well. But there are millions of dead standing trees in the

West that were killed by a beetle that ate through the bark, use the sap from the tree and killed the tree.

Millions of dead trees standing in the West. That's just the fuel to get these fires to the crowd where the tops of the living trees actually are.

Some of these looks like an explosion, Looks like a thunderstorm. That was actually the smoke from the fire. Temperatures today are going to be hot in

these fire zones. I know maybe not as hot as the weekend when we were over 45 but there'll be some 43s and 44s out there for today.

And the problem is going to be the wind. This is going to be maybe the most dangerous weekend we've seen so far. If you have 85 fires burning right

now, there are embers everywhere and then you blow 75 kph wins over those embers. downwind goes that weather, downwind goes the sparks and the embers

and the flames are going to be really moving quickly this weekend and by today and tomorrow.

I'm talking about still we have a holiday here in America. But winds are still going to be about 20 kph for Tuesday into Wednesday. Critical fire

weather all across the west, dry air, lots of wind, low humidity and dry fuel and dead trees. So, we have that for today. And this again for

tomorrow.

[10:05:00]

MYERS: No significant help. A big storm is coming in from the north, going to bring down cold air here, but it's also going to increase those winds

and I showed you just two maps ago. The winds are going to be the problem. We are in extreme critical condition here in the American West.

ANDERSON: Yes. Just absolutely remarkable. What seems even more remarkable is that at the opposite end of the spectrum, of course, I'm just looking at

your map and we can -- we can take a look when Colorado is for those who don't know there. It's now bracing for a snowstorm in September. What do we

know?

MYERS: A significant snow storm. I mean, there could be a meter of snow on the top of these mountains. Snowing today, snowing tomorrow. Temperatures

in Denver today will approach about 34 and tomorrow the high will be three. So, this is just the front making the wind in the West, making snow on the

east side of this and there is the snow anywhere that you see purple, that's a half a meter of snow and there are some darker purples in there.

And that's going to be a meter, 34 to three in Denver. And that's at 5000 feet, that's it about a little bit less than 2000 meters high in the

mountains that go all the way up to 6000 meters, almost. They're going to be -- that's where the meters are. That's where the meter of snow will be

certainly on top of those ski resorts. Still take it, but people are going to be in the way of this wind if the wind catches the fire and blows that

fire in the wrong direction or even it could make some avalanches here in the Colorado Rockies, Becky. What a situation.

ANDERSON: For those you who are watching who are there, be safe and for those with friends and family in the region. I'm sure everybody is hoping

for the best. Chad, always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. All the devastating impact of climate change unfolding there.

And in Eastern Asia, where that intense typhoon season. Currently tropical storm Haishen is packing sustained winds 110 kilometers per hour.

Cut through the southern portion of Japan as a typhoon and is now affecting the Korean peninsula. Tens of thousands of people in the region are

experiencing power outages now. This is projected to continue into China. While North Korea brace for Haishen, it was already dealing with the

aftermath of last week's typhoon. State television had video of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un surveying typhoon damage in South Hamgyong

province. Previously, typhoon Maysak destroyed more than 1000 homes and flooded public buildings.

There's a breaking news coming in to CNN this hour. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is out of a medically induced coma and is responding

to speech That's according to the Berlin hospital that has been treating him since last month. Let's get sentence Frederick Pleitgen in the show for

you in Berlin for the very latest this hour. This wake up was by no means a sure thing, correct? This is a big development.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it is a very big development was by no means a sure thing. And of course, the big

question is whether or not there are going to be major long-term effects to go on and how long exactly the recovery of Alexei Navalny is going to take

and whether or not he's going to be able to make a full recovery. But certainly, some very, very good news coming from the Charite Hospital here

in Berlin.

Just a couple of minutes ago, they put out a press release, saying that indeed, he had brought -- been brought out of that medically induced coma,

as you said that he's responding to these verbal stimuli. And then he says it remains too early to gauge the potential long-term effects of his severe

poisoning. That's something that we've been hearing from this hospital over the past couple of days where they said it's definitely going to be a very,

very long road for Alexei Navalny ahead.

And they certainly are not yet sure whether or not he's going to be able to make a full recovery. Of course, all this comes Becky, just a couple of

days after the German government came out and confirm that yes, it was the chemical agent, Novichok that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with. Obviously

all this leading to huge reverberations between Germany and Russia, between the European Union, Russia as well.

I was able to get in touch with a member of Alexei Navalny's team here in Berlin just a couple of minutes ago, he only wanted to tell me, look, very

happy about the news that they've gotten, but obviously didn't want to make any comments beyond that. So far, the family and the organization are

allowing the hospital to comment on all of this. But as we've been saying, all this still leading to huge, huge issues between Germany and Russia.

In fact, just a couple of hours ago, there were many people here in Germany, political parties, political leaders here in this country who were

questioning whether a major gas pipeline deal, the Nord Stream 2 project that first and foremost is between Germany and Russia. There's some other

countries and companies that are involved as well, whether or not that should be put on ice until the Russians come up with an explanation and

show that they are willing to transparently see what exists happened and investigate.

What exactly happened to Alexei Navalny. Of course the Russians for their part came out earlier today and said that they see no reason to put Nord

Stream 2 on ice. They of course, continue to say that they have no idea what happened to Alexei Navalny and that there were no signs of poisoning

when he was flown out of that hospital in Omsk and brought here to Germany. But of course, the Germans for their part say that they have evidence and

they've have done a lot of research into this, that he was indeed poisoned with Novichok.

But now finally, some good news for Alexei Navalny, for his loved ones as well. At least the artificially induced coma, the medically induced coma

has been lifted and they're slowly, they also say, trying to bring him off the ventilator as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen on the very latest out of Berlin. Fred, always was a pleasure. Thank you. Well, India, reporting a staggering number of new

coronavirus cases. We're live in New Delhi in just a moment. Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Would it be Federal mandate under the Biden-Harris administration?

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It would be a standard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: In an exclusive interview, the women who happen to be the next Vice President of the United States of America tell CNN that she -- how she

hopes to get Americans wearing masks.

And world's top ranked tennis player out of the US Open all because of one moment of frustration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of the summer in the United States of America, and the bookends of a season ruled by the pandemic. You

can see here people celebrating on the beach as U.S. airport security screened almost a million people this weekend. We are told that that is a

new pandemic era high. Experts are worried about a bump in infection similar to the jump after Memorial Day celebrations in May. CNN Rosa Flores

has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Large crowds from coast to coast this Labor Day weekend, reinforcing health experts fears of another holiday spike in

new cases going into the fall.

DR. ASHISHJHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: I am concerned. We go into Labor Day with 40,000 new cases a day much higher

than we were at Memorial Day. And so, I'm worried that any new searches will be potentially quite catastrophic.

FLORES: In San Francisco, the city closed the parking lot at Ocean Beach after more than 1000 people gathered for a Burning Man style event. Mayor

London Breed calling it reckless and selfish and people flocking to beaches up and down the East Coast to celebrate the end of the summer. This is

colleges across the country are struggling to contain outbreaks on campuses.

Northeastern University dismissing 11 students for violating the school's public health protocols by gathering in a hotel room off campus.

[10:20:08]

FLORES: The students will not receive a refund for the last semester.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We remain on track to deliver a vaccine before the end of the year, maybe even before November 1st.

FLORES: The CDC asking states to be ready to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine by late October just before the election, causing

concern that the vaccine will be politicized given the proximity to election day.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: No vaccine will be distributed before election day. Even if we identify a vaccine which looks both safe

and effective. The distribution plan is going to be really complex.

FLORES: Two former FDA commissioners tell CNN it is possible but very unlikely that President Trump could pressure scientists to approve a

coronavirus vaccine. Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris remains skeptical.

HARRIS: I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the -- and the

reliability of whatever he's talking about. I will not take his word for it. He wants us to inject bleach.

FLORES: in an attempt to calm any public concerns around getting the vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reports Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and

Johnson plant a pledge not to seek FDA approval for a vaccine until they can ensure it is safe and effective.

DR. ESTHER CHOO, PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: If we push out something that is not safe and that harms

people, it will ruin not only our ability to disseminate this vaccine, but to disseminate all vaccines. I mean, mumps, whooping cough, polio, you

know, the last thing we need is a resurgence of those things, because people lose their trust.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Rosa Flores reporting for you. Well, the mask debate rages on in the U.S. as the country grapples with how to control what is this deadly

pandemic. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is called for a national masked mandate. But his running mate does seem to be walking that

back in an exclusive CNN interview. Harris says the use of face coverings would not be legally enforced.

It would instead just be a standard show though. She did not clarify how it will be put into effect. Here's what she specifically told my colleague,

Danna Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So the Biden-Harris position on this is that leaders must lead and one of the ways leaders lead as they set standards. And so what Joe has

been very clear about in his personal behavior, much less and what he is admonishing and requesting of the American people, is that we all make the

sacrifice to wear a mask in the interest of love of our neighbor, and the interest of defeating or at least reducing the health risks and the number

of deaths in America.

So, it's about a national standard. Everyone should you'd wear a mask. And here's the thing about this. None of us likes wearing a mask. Nobody likes

wearing a mask, standard sacrifice.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Right. There's a difference between the standard and mandate. Would it be a Federal mandate under the Biden-Harris administration?

HARRIS: it would be a standard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Kamala Harris also accused President Donald Trump of politicizing the issue. Making it even harder to convince Americans to wear

a mask. Let's bring in CNN, John Harwood live in Washington. Look, let's be very clear about this. Standard versus mandatory on masks. That's Kamala

Harris' position. It does sound like she is walking on the political fence, does it not, John?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Becky, I talked to the Biden campaign and they pointed me to Joe Biden's original announcement which is

consistent actually with what the vice-presidential nominee has said. What Joe Biden has said was he called on governors to require masks in all 50

states. The standard that Kamala Harris referred to was that call for masks in every state. They would be enforced and implemented at the state level.

But by standard that Joe Biden is saying every governor, every state and localities should have a mask mandate.

ANDERSON: All right. Okay, fair enough. So, I guess that sort of put puts it to bed, and we're going to get this kind of, you know, we're going to

get this sort of nitpicking as we -- as we move even closer towards what is this incredibly important election. Look, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief

of the Atlantic said his magazine story about Donald Trump calling Americans who died in battle losers and suckers was just the tip of the

iceberg. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY GOLDBERG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE ATLANTIC: There is a sense of horror about the way he acts and behaves and talks. And so, I would fully expect -

- let me just say it this way.

[10:25:04]

GOLDBERG: I would fully expect more reporting to come out about this and more confirmation and new pieces of information in the coming days and

weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Let's be fair here, here is the side of things from Trump's team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Have you ever heard the President disparage U.S. service members or veterans?

UNIDENTIFIIED MALE: Well, absolutely not. And I would be offended to if I thought it was true.

STEVEN MNUCHIN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I think this President has enormous respect for the military and for the generals. And I've been at

the tank at the Pentagon with him, I've been at 911 at the Pentagon with him, this president respects and supports the U.S. military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: John, where does the truth lie on this and forgive the juxtaposition of terms.

HARWOOD: Well, look, Jeffrey Goldberg sources were not identified and the forthcoming reporting he's describing it sounds like he's working on

another story, or perhaps his colleagues are. We'll have to wait and see if some of that is on the record. It's not -- doesn't refute the story to have

other officials say I didn't hear that. That doesn't mean you didn't say it to other people.

And the one thing we do know, Becky, is that the disparagement of people, based on what happened to them in wartime, is consistent with Donald

Trump's public remarks about John McCain. He said publicly about John McCain in 2015. I like people who weren't captured in wartime. That is the

same derogation that Jeffrey Goldberg sources are saying occurred in private.

So, it's impossible for those of us who are not reporting the story, ourselves that Jeffrey has reported to determine what is correct and what

isn't. We'll see if anybody decides to go on the record. But we do know it's not inconsistent with the President's public statements.

ANDERSON: But a new poll after the conventions conducted in the last few days, giving Biden a big lead, Joe Biden at 52 percent, John, Donald Trump

at 42 percent. But speaking to our colleague Harry Enten, these numbers don't necessarily tell the whole story, right? You have forgotten more

about U.S. elections than most of us will ever know. Just what -- how are you reading the landscape writ large at this point?

HARWOOD: Well, Joe Biden has a significant advantage. And the 10-point lead he has in national polling is significant. But it's also the case as

Harrington has outlined, that in the battleground states, which will decide the election, the margin is narrower, and that means that Donald Trump

still has a chance to close the gap in some of those states. You've got states like Pennsylvania where a poll last week showed the -- Joe Biden up

three points in a likely voter model.

So, because vote is not evenly distributed across the country, and because the electoral college rather than the popular vote is how we select the

president, it's going to come down to what happens in those half-dozen battleground states and they are closer by and large than the national

average. The one thing we know, however, is that this has been a very stable race for quite a long time, Donald Trump was trailing Joe Biden,

before the coronavirus pandemic, that has made it harder for him to come back.

Some of these developments last couple of days don't help any either. And the two conventions the back to back conventions, Democratic and Republican

don't seem to have changed in any fundamental way this race. So, we would expect some tightening in the campaign because we don't tend to have

blowout presidential elections, the 10-point margins very large by the standards of our recent history. But there's no question that Joe Biden has

an advantage and it's a significant one.

ANDERSON: John Howard in the house. He will be there for you viewers, with less than 60 days to go to what has to be one of the most important U.S.

elections in history. Thank you, John. Still ahead, as India's coronavirus numbers spike. One medical expert thinks he knows exactly who to blame.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have become careless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: He blames people letting their guard down. Is that really what is happening? We are live there next.

Plus, a South Korean pastor at the center of a COVID-19 outbreak is back in hot water for breaking bail conditions. The latest on that is after this

short break. Stay with us.

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[10:32:18]

ANDERSON: Well, a savoring milestone for India has it becomes a new global pandemic hotspot. The world's second most populous country is registered a

record spiking coronavirus infections. It now has the second highest number of confirmed cases worldwide. More than 4.2 million, overtaking Brazil and

behind only the United States. Now India's population is much larger of course. Let's get the latest from CNN's Vedika Sud who is in New Delhi.

And India has the second highest case count and the fastest growing infection rate in the world. Vedika, what is behind these numbers?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Becky, you were right when you said that with the second most populated country, we have a population of 1.3 6

billion people. A lot of reasons behind the surge. Firstly, we're talking about a huge population. Also, the infections have been over 90,000 per day

for the last two days. One of the reasons for this is the aggressive testing that has been taking place.

The Indian government has made it clear that they targeting about a million tests a day for the last three weeks because of which when the tests

testing is going up, we're seeing the number of cases also hit a new high. We've spoken about medical experts and other reason being mentioned is the

number of cases that's going up in rural areas where the public health care system is so fragile. Let's just listen into what the medical experts have

to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: Congested streets, crowded markets, India's exponential increase in COVID-19 numbers has done little to deter people from venturing out.

UNIDENTIFIIED MALE: People thought that once the numbers started to go down, this was it. They had won the award and everybody was out. And

everybody was, you know, was out there without wearing a mask, without any social distancing, without any sanitizers, basically just get abandon.

SUD: While it took India 5-1/2 months to suppose a million cases, it's taken the country just 50 days to add more than 3 million infections.

Medical experts say one of the reasons for the big surge is aggressive testing.

UNIDENTIFIIED MALE: Now, twice, when we set our target to do one lab test a day, and then one million tests per day. We achieved that target much

before the targeted date.

SUD: A significant increase in caseload has been reported from rural areas where the public healthcare system remains extremely poor and lean.

UNIDENTIFIIED MALE: The pandemic is spreading in the rural area. It is mainly affecting the seven states of this country, which are responsible

for almost 75 percent of the cases.

SUD: India's health ministry has often quoted low fatality and high recovery rates to explain its number. The medical experts said, this has

made people complacent.

[10:35:04]

DR. SHAHID JAMEEL, VIROLOGIST: I think it's because of the mixed messaging that we are putting out. We're not telling people exactly what is going on.

We are giving them half truths about recovering dates but not telling the exact gravity of the situation.

SUD: Post repeated lockdowns economic compassions have left the government to relax restrictions. With malls, restaurants and temples already

reopened. Subway trains will be back on track from Monday, another possible hazard in the times of COVID with the fastest growing caseload in the world

India has now surpassed Brazil's numbers. Second only to the US in COVID-19 cases.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUD: And it's no surprise that Brazil has been surpassed by India given the population difference. Brazil has a population of 211,000,001 India has a

population of 1.3 6 billion, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, but I guess and as you mentioned in that report, the government continues to take steps to open as normal as it were. These are

economic considerations clearly. Do they simply outweigh the health outcomes at this point?

SUD: What we've heard from the government so many times in the recent past where they've said that now India has to coexist COVID-19. And that's one

reason why I also think the opening up of the economy, the lockdown hit India severely, not once, not twice, but four times over. A lot of middle-

class people have been affected by this. So now the reopening of the economy has been happening ever since the second week of June.

And you would have heard in that report that Metro services have resumed the integrated manner. So, we've seen a lot of Metro services reopen except

for Mumbai in other cities, but of course, it's in a very phased manner. A huge number of safety precautions being taken at this point in time, but

the GDP of India also was hit very hard earlier this month. So clearly India is very clear, especially the government here that we need to reopen.

It's got to come at a cost that we're seeing, Becky, the huge surge in numbers, but that's what's on the Indian government's mind right now to

reopen the economy.

ANDERSON: Yes. And as you eloquently pointed out, I mean, the shift from the big cities to the rural areas, of course, is a real problem given as

you describe it, the fragility of the healthcare system. I guess the sort of, you know, the bottom line here is do experts expect India to overtake

the U.S. and become the worldwide epicenter of this pandemic?

SUD: Well, that's a good question you asked and I've asked some medical experts that question they say wait and watch for given that 90,000 is the

number of infections we reporting per day, at least for the last 48 hours, Becky. This means in six days they're going to see half a million

infections. Those are still growing numbers. So of course, given population of India versus the population of us, that could happen in the coming days.

Seventy percent of India's population lives in rural areas. And like I pointed out, it's got a very weak infrastructure. So, the numbers are going

up there as well, when it comes to infections. We could see that happening, but I really hope that India can contain its cases sooner than -- Becky.

ANDERSON: With the U.S. with just a quarter of the population, of course. Vedika, thank you. South Korea has revoked bail for the Reverend. Now the

center of the COVID-19 outbreak there at his church. Authorities say, Jun Kwang-hoon violated bell conditions by giving a speech at an unlawful rally

last month. Prosecutors tell CNN they requested the Reverend's arrest Monday afternoon. He apologized to the public after being released from a

hospital where he was treated for COVID-19.

Well up next, says one British paper put it, Djokovic. We take a look at our single moment cost the biggest name and men's tennis. A shot at a

tournament.

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[10:41:14]

ANDERSON: All right. Welcome back you with CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Take a look at this. If looks could kill, hey? He was the

favorite to win the US Open now Novak Djokovic is out. Why? Well, it has to do with the absolute daggers that this line judge is throwing at him. Let's

go to the juggler here as it were. I'm bringing Don Riddell. What's going on, Don? What happened?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Just incredible, isn't it? Talk about the ultimate unforced error. The world number one top seed, the unbeaten in

2020 Novak Djokovic, hitting a ball in frustration towards a line judge in quarter in the throat and she was clearly distressed. He didn't mean to do

it. His apology was very contrived that he was defaulted from the tournament. And he's on his way home from New York.

The U.S. Open just continues to be a magnet for the most unpredictable drama. And it means, Becky, that we're now going to get a first-time major

winner for -- well, the first time as long as I can remember.

ANDERSON: Unbelievable. Yes, and I'm not -- I'm not laughing about what he did because it's just unacceptable. But yes, I know it. So, I mean, and the

Sporting News just goes on in this weird, weird year that we live in. Thank you. That is WORLD SPORT coming up next after this short break. Stay with

us.

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