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U.K. Says It Could See 50,000 Cases A Day By Mid-October; U.S. Stocks Tumble As Coronavirus Case Count Grows; Admiral Brett Giroir: No Wide Vaccine Development Until Mid-2021; Iran Rejects U.S. Efforts To Re- impose Sanctions; Joe Biden's Root Gains Him Support In Irish Town; Hollywood Tries To Celebrate Its Best During Pandemic. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 21, 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 INJTERNATIONAL HOST: This hour America's top agency on disease control finally issuing new guidance that the Coronavirus can be
transmitted through the air. There is a lot to connect you to this hour, from lockdowns to the COVID drop on the stock markets.
Well, today we are marking the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, but the world doesn't feel that united, does it? What was once the world's most
important get-together isn't quite a get-together this year the U.N. General Assembly or UNGA - isn't exactly assembling for the first time in
three-quarters of a century.
The United Nations all convened world leaders virtually to seek action and solutions for a world in crisis. And let's be frank, to grandstand over
whatever those world leaders feel like grandstanding about at present, this as the deadly Coronavirus pandemic challenges the solidarity and the
effectiveness of the entire body, all 193 members of it.
This pandemic, which shows as the fragility of all bodies and minds as we perch on the planet also comes as we are marking climate week, which also
reveals the precarious nature of our world as we hurtle towards what does seem like an unstoppable climate crisis. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: Billions of people around the world are waiting and longing for concerted action to right the balance of this
planet that we have so rationally disrupted. Millions of younger employees of countless companies and corporations are desperate for action and not
more words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Prince Charles making those comments at a time when there is a warning that on its current path, this country could see 50,000 Coronavirus
cases a day by mid-October. That coming from the UK's top medical and scientific advisers who are telling the people of Britain, "If we don't do
enough, the virus will take off" and that could mean another national lockdown a lot to get into.
CNN's Scott McLean is standing by for us in London. Before we get to vet latest, just briefly, as you go about your day-to-day life in London, are
people wearing masks, being safe?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really depends. If you walk down the street, you will see masks, it's not unusual, but it's hardly not everyone
is wearing them, and the majority probably are not walking down the street.
But you're supposed to be wearing them inside of any private business, the grocery store, coffee shops, things like that, and by and large, people are
doing that, but there are obviously plenty of exceptions to the rules where people are not.
And the one thing that you will so, so, so rarely see here, Becky, is police enforcing that rule. Sometimes you won't even see shopkeepers,
baristas, things like that enforcing their own rules as well but sometimes you will as well. So it's really a mixed bag here. Certainly it's not as
strict as other parts of Europe by any stretch.
ANDERSON: Yes, all right. Okay. Well, if the UK does go into a second lockdown, it will be far and away the largest and most powerful country to
go back, as it were, into a general lockdown. What's the latest, as we understand it?
MCLEAN: Sure. So, yes, the government is trying to do everything that it can to avoid that second national lockdown. Right now the challenge is just
to get everybody on the same page and actually following the rules.
So the government says, look, if people can't follow the rules, well, expect them to get stricter and perhaps even expect that second national
lockdown. So last week the UK instituted new restrictions across England on the size of social gatherings, and some places they even effectively banned
almost all in-person social interaction with people outside your own household.
But a week on, it's sort of unclear whether or not they're having an impact. So just for good measure, the government says that it's going to
get tougher on enforcement, particularly around self-isolation or quarantine, whereas right now there is hardly any enforcement at all.
In fact, one survey from the summer found that only one in five people who are required to quarantine are actually doing so, which is a little bit
scary considering the health officials announced this morning that the virus is spreading or is doubling, I should say, the number of new cases
are doubling every seven days, which means this country could be on track to have 50,000 cases per day in just a month.
That's more than the United States has, just to put it into context, and so health officials here are saying that everyone has to do their part.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WHITTY, UK CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER: If I as an individual increase my risk, I increase the risk to everyone around me, and then everyone is a
contact to theirs. Sooner or later the chain will meet people who are vulnerable or elderly or have a long-term problem from COVID.
[11:05:00]
WHITTY: So you cannot, in an epidemic, just take your own risk. Unfortunately, you are taking a risk on behalf of everybody else. It's
important that we see this as something we have to do collectively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: So health officials here have been saying for a couple weeks now that this country is really at a tipping point, bit of a crossroads. Things
could get better like they have in Belgium which instituted stricter new rules, or they could get worse which is the situation that we are seeing
play out in places like France and Spain, Becky.
ANDERSON: This, of course, all happening amid wider surging cases around Europe as a whole, as you just reflected there. Do walk me through what is
going on in places like Spain and in France. Scott?
MCLEAN: It's actually quite a scary situation, Becky, in France and Spain where they're seeing absolutely massive numbers of cases, 10,000-plus in
many cases, and those massive case numbers are starting to translate also into rising hospitalizations, rising deaths as well.
In France the government is trying to do everything that it can like it is here to avoid that second national lockdown. The difference is that the
French authorities have really put it to the local governments to make their own rules, to figure out how to tamp down the virus in their own
communities?
So you're seeing stricter regulations on things like masks and social gatherings in places like Marseilles and Bordeaux as well. In Spain things
are particularly dire, they're seeing 400 plus deaths in just a one week span, Spain doesn't want to go back to the death rates that they saw, which
was 1,000 per day at least according to the official numbers at the peak of the pandemic.
So they're instituting more localized restrictions. In Madrid there are almost a million people who are now under these severe restrictions which
limit travel, and they actually sparked protests over the weekend. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The measures taken by Madrid's regional leader are unfair. It doesn't make sense that you can go to work in a rich
neighborhood but you can't go shopping. If you are infected, you can infect at work or get infected at work. It's utterly unfair and discriminatory.
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MCLEAN: And so these measures obviously not popular with everyone. Poor residents seem to feel like they're targeting them. But in Spain in
particular, this pandemic has highlighted a lot of inequalities between rich and poor, in schooling, between public and private schools and the
outcomes there, and even the comfort level of being able to lock down and quarantine.
Some people have big back yards in the suburbs the other people have very tiny apartments in the city or in social housing. Ask and so Spain is
obviously grappling with the inequalities this pandemic has made plain. Becky?
ANDERSON: And haven't we seen that in so many places, not just in Europe, around the world. Scott, thank you. That is, then, the COVID outlook in
Europe, and it's pretty dire, isn't it, as you can see America, though, still suffering the worst outbreak in the world. Have a listen to this.
Each toll of the bell marking a thousand deaths to COVID-19 in the United States the National Cathedral in Washington rang out 200 times this weekend
as the U.S. reaches almost 200,000 dead. In March President Trump said that as long as U.S. death toll stayed under 200,000 the country would have
done, "A very good job". How does he rate his own response to the pandemic? Well, here is what Mr. Trump said in July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what grade do you give yourself on the virus for the last six, seven months?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Other than the public relations, this is impossible because it's a fake media, fake. I think you
disagree with me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do, yes.
TRUMP: Other than the fact that I have been unable to--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what's - what's the grade, sir.
TRUMP: Once it goes fairly I'll give ourselves an A. But the grade is incomplete, and I'll tell you why. If we come up with vaccines and
therapeutics, then I give myself an A-plus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The U.S. has averaged more than 41,000 new cases a day in the past week alone, and the number of new cases has been increasing in at
least 28 states, as you can see there on the map. Let's bring in Alexandra Field who is reporting for you from New York. We just heard, Alex, the
president there giving himself an A-plus for his COVID response.
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ANDERSON: Many will find that hard to marry with the numbers that we've just been reporting.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Becky, it's completely at odds with it, and let me point out that since the president gave himself the
highest marks back in July, another 57,000 Americans have died as a result of this crisis, and there's certainly no end no sight.
You point out the fact that we were averaging 41,000 new cases a day. Over the last week you point out the fact that the majority of states in the
United States are now seeing an increase in cases, up at least 10 percent in 28 states in just the last week.
We got projections now that you'll see another 180,000 deaths by January 1st. That on top of the 200,000 deaths that the U.S. has experienced to
date, this all, as the president continues to say that we have somehow rounded the corner or are rounding the corner it's something that you just
can't really sell here, Becky.
ANDERSON: Alexandra field on the story for you. So that's a look, then. Thank you, Alex. The health and political dimensions of this pandemic but
the virus also affecting the global economy millions of people, of course, are out of work right now.
It felt like some industries almost evaporated take a look at the DOW Jones right now, one way of looking at how the economies are coping with COVID?
You can see the DOW Jones Industrial average down 2.75 of 1 percent, that is a fall of just shy of 800 points down below 27,000 as we speak knocking
around at 26,880-odd.
Two other key indices the NASDAQ and the S&P 500 are also following on they're down to dig into the numbers and how this may impact your bomb
liner Julia Chatterley joining us from New York with more.
Julia, look, investors, it seems, amongst other things, at least, certainly worrying about a spike in new cases later in the year. And we are certainly
seeing that reflected in these numbers, aren't we?
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's just one of the things, I think, that investors are dealing with, Becky, to your exact point. We're
seeing them listen to the word lockdown even if it looks very different to what we saw in March-April time. That's a huge concern. It's happening in
Europe, it's happening in the United States, too.
Just in the last 24 hours as well, we've had a leak of reports that look at some of the wrongdoing of some of the biggest banks in the world over the
last 20 years. The banks are saying there is nothing to see here, investors are saying, the banks are already in a bad way as a result of the pandemic,
so they're under pressure today.
Then we've got the Supreme Court in the United States as you've been discussing, a vitally important issue on its own, but I think the real fear
is that it will be a distraction amidst desperate hopes of talks coming up with some further financial aid.
So when you combine all of these things, in addition to the fact that we've had a few weeks now of weakness in the tech sector which has helped prop
up, I think, the broader stock markets, add all those things together and you get weakness today, and that's what we're seeing.
ANDERSON: It's interesting, isn't it, when we look at those tech stocks, I mean, boy, you know we are well aware, and I don't think our viewers will
be unaware of these, these tech stocks on the whole have done extremely well during this period.
We've reported on some of these tech titans making billions of dollars, personally making sort of hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions
of dollars during this period. There will be, and I've been looking at this market, 27,000 clearly a level at which we get some programmable selling,
of course.
So let's be quite clear, you know there are fluctuations in these markets which of course don't reflect anything but technical levels. But the sort
of overarching story at this point is that these markets have also been very, very high and there will be an inclination to sell out of what has
been a pretty good streak for many investors?
CHATTERLEY: Profit taking, absolutely, and that's not emotionally driven. It's also to your point, just programs that operate in the market, and they
see a level and they go, great, let's take some money off the table.
So this is such an important point to understand, and we can talk about these stock markets being what, 7, 8, 9 percentage points off the highs.
The S&P 500 sell off more than 40 percent from the lows back in March, so that kind of context, particularly on a day like today, vitally important,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Well, as you stopped speaking we hit a fall of 3 percent on the DOW Jones industrial average. That translates into a fall of
some 829 points, the market down 26,000 and just over 800 pennies, as it were. Thank you.
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ANDERSON: Thank you. The U.S.'s announcement it will restore U.N. sanctions on Iran is dismissed by Iranian leaders. Perhaps that's not a surprise but
will the world side with Tehran? A live report on that is just ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is for Joe Biden in this town. I think he's going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden has undying support in one Irish town. We'll tell you why he is so loved there?
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson. It is 17 minutes past 7:00 here in the UAE. This is home to our
Middle East Broadcasting Hub. We have spent months connecting you to themes on this show that change your world every day.
The pandemic, we are at 31 million cases worldwide, the climate emergency more urgent than ever and tomorrow the U.N.'s big get-together as we have
been marking. Who can tie all of that together for us?
Well, my next guest is a Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He is a U.N. Adviser, and
he is the Chair of the COVID-19 commission for "The Lancet" Professor Jeffrey Sachs is with us now.
You and I have talked numerous times over the years. I could not imagine that I would be introducing you, Jeffrey, with that new title, but therein
lies the world that we live in these days. As Chair of "The Lancet" COVID- 19 Commission, let's start with your reaction to the United States hitting almost 200,000 deaths from COVID.
JEFFREY SACHS, CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Well, by some counts, even well over 200,000 at this point, depending on
who exactly is counting, and the numbers are rising strongly.
We have not had a federal government response. It's been a nightmare. Trump failed utterly, the federal government failed utterly on the most basic
things like testing and contact tracing, and so the United States has a death rate per million populations that is roughly 100 times higher than
what has happened in the Asia/Pacific. It's important to get a global perspective. That's what The Lancet Commission did--
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: So I understand, the U.S. President gives himself an A-plus for his performance in dealing with this. What would you give Donald Trump as a
rating at this point?
SACHS: Utterly a failure a complete, total failure other than in his delusional world. Because to this moment, we don't have control in the
United States, to this moment there is a widespread epidemic.
To this moment people are dying massively and at rates that are, as I said, roughly 100 times higher than in the places that have had successfully
contained the pandemic. So Trump, we know, says what he wants, but there are facts, and in this case the facts are tragic, actually.
ANDERSON: Wear a mask; we have been saying that from the outset. It seems absolutely clear that that can help. Wash your hands, stay socially
distanced. You have said that even though COVID is a devilish virus, it is controllable.
We are seeing countries like Israel, for example, going into another general lockdown. The UK is also on the verge. Despite what I have just
suggested, despite scientists telling us time and time again to wear that mask, socially distance and wash your hands, is a general lockdown the way
to control this virus?
SACHS: A general lockdown is not necessary if public health measures are in place. In the countries, China, Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand, Australia,
Vietnam, these countries did not have general lockdowns for long.
What they did was go to ample testing, tracing of close contacts, quarantining of people who were infectious to others, socially responsible
wearing face masks, not turning it into some political issue, which is crazy because this is just for each other to keep each other safe physical
distancing, stopping large events and protecting so-called congregate settings like elder care centers or prisons or places where people live
together.
If you take these basic steps, this is an absolutely controllable pandemic. It's places like the United States or like the UK with Boris Johnson where
the leaders are so unsystematic - in fact, there is no leadership.
The result is chaos, and then you fall back into the extreme lockdown because the basics of public health are not being done. It's amazing given
that we have working examples in at least a dozen countries where it's absolutely contained by being systematic.
And if our government officials were systematic and professional rather than improvising every day, or in the United States just faking it, then we
would actually have this pandemic under control.
ANDERSON: Jeffrey Sachs, of course, a never-ending dateline is the quest for a vaccine, when we will get one. Have a listen to what the Assistant
Secretary of Health has to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: In front of the Senate, Dr. Redfield and I both said that a
vaccine that would be widely available in hundreds of millions of doses would not likely happen until mid-2021. That is a fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Look, Jeffrey, this issue is so very much contested. No one seems to know when we will have a vaccine? We are well aware that this is an
issue which is being politicized. Call it what you will. What is your sense as to when and how? Just how many people will get a vaccine and when?
SACHS: There are at least 40 vaccines in clinical trials right now. There is reason to believe that some of them will be effective, but there is also
reason to believe that it will be well into 2021 or even late 2021 and into 2022 and 2023 to get the kind of coverage that would make it possible to
not have to do all of the normal public health, physical distancing and other measures.
In other words, a vaccine will be gradually introduced. The first ones may be only with limited effectiveness. It's going to take time. This is for
sure. There is no magic event in the next month or six weeks or two months or even six months that the vaccine makes all the difference.
[11:25:00]
SACHS: So we're going to be living with the virus and meeting public health measures to control the virus, but I think there is reason to believe that
some vaccines will start. They will have some efficacy, they will cover first a small proportion of populations, and then that will expand over
time, but this is going to be a process of years, not of one moment where it's all solved.
ANDERSON: Bill Gates certainly suggesting that even though he expects vaccine approvals to come by the end of next year, he doesn't see the U.S.
returning to normal any time soon. This is a man who has been massively involved in global health and its crises around the world for some time
now.
Let's talk about the United Nations, because it is today celebrating its 75th anniversary at a time when the world is very much divided. Two
questions for you. What's been the role of the U.N., and has it been any good during this COVID crisis? And are you of the opinion that
multilateralism is dead at this point?
SACHS: Multilateralism is our only way to stay alive and to survive in a world filled with nuclear weapons and with massive global risks like
pandemic diseases, like a human-induced climate change. We desperately need the U.N., and we need it to function.
It was a wonderful idea by America's greatest President, Franklin Roosevelt, which brought the U.N. to life 75 years ago. Unfortunately,
Trump has been absolutely on the attack against the U.N. because of his extreme nationalism and his inability completely to understand global
problems.
He doesn't understand this epidemic. He doesn't understand climate change. He said just last week, oh, it's going to get colder. This is the kind of
delusion that we're living with right now of a leader of the militarily most powerful country in the world.
It's very frightening, because the U.S. under Trump has turned against the World Health Organization, against the U.N.'s Paris Climate Agreement,
against the treaty with Iran. This is a great threat to the planet, actually.
ANDERSON: So it is, of course, climate week. That is a big week. The President of the U.S., Donald Trump, while touring fire-ravaged California,
continuing to downplay the climate crisis, ignoring the scientific facts saying when it's going to get colder, it's going to be okay.
Look, Joe Biden calls him a climate arsonist. I just wonder what you think a Biden Presidency will mean and what effect it will have with regard to
climate and climate crisis.
SACHS: A Biden Presidency will turn us back to rationality, to peace and to cooperation, thank God, because this is utterly what we need right now. And
specifically on climate change, Vice President Biden has made clear it is an existential threat to humanity inside the Trump White House and Trump
delusions.
And he's ready to invest large amounts of federal spending to build an energy system based on renewable energy. So I'm very gratified--
ANDERSON: Let me stop you there because I'm running out of time. You are foremost an economist and a brilliant one at that. Look, this is a U.S.
economy which has just gone into a horrible space as a result of the COVID crisis.
I understand what Joe Biden says he wants to do with regard to funding for - to avoid a climate crisis going forward, but will the U.S. at this stage
be able to afford it?
SACHS: Well, it's actually precisely at this time that we're going to need government-led investment for a recovery. We have millions of people
unemployed right now. We have huge resources that are under deployed.
So just like Europe has its European Green Deal, the United States needs an investment-led strategy to put people back to work, in addition to making a
safe energy system.
[11:30:00]
SACHS: So I think the timing is actually just right both from the economic point of view and from a climate point of view where we're already just at
the edge of complete disaster. So I think the timing is exactly right.
ANDERSON: It is always a pleasure, sir. Thank you for entertaining a wide- ranging conversation. But as I said at the top of this interview, given that you wear numerous hats, not the least of three that I needed today as
we discuss the U.N. COVID and climate change, you are and remain the perfect, perfect guest. Thank you, sir.
SACHS: Pleasure.
ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. says it is re-imposing sanctions on Iran. We'll tell you how Tehran is responding to those threats? A live report on that
is just ahead.
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ANDERSON: While America struggles with its COVID cases and its deaths at home, right now it is once again going all in on its maximum pressure
campaign against Iran by looking to restore sanctions and to hold back its economy.
Well, for its part the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani staunchly insisting that his country won't be bullied by U.S. efforts, a familiar refrain to
those of us who follow this region, but this is new. Listen closely, because America seems to be putting itself in a majority of just one on the
issue. Even its closest allies are set to ignore the U.S.'s latest efforts.
Let's bring in our Senior International Correspondent Sam Kylie, our Business Editor John Defterios also joining us, two better folks to break
this down for some perspective and some analysis. Sam, let me start with you. Sanctions have been tightened almost to the elastic limit. What do
these "Snapback Sanctions" mean now at this point, and why now?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, we've got the Americans, as we all know, Becky, since 2018 re-imposed bilateral
sanctions on Iran. And that means that it's made international trade for Iran extremely difficult, because a lot of that trade is conducted
ultimately through using U.S. dollars through the federal banking system. So that is the bilateral sanctions that already exist.
This is a whole new attempt to get the international community, notably western powers, plus Russia and China, to agree to what you rightfully
refer to there as a snapback of sanctions against Iran.
[11:35:00]
KILEY: Now, these are sanctions that would be sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council under the resolution that got the original nuclear
deal off the ground. As far as the United States is concerned, there has been Iranian backsliding on that, and it's for that reason they want the
international community to re-impose sanctions. This is what Mike Pompeo said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: They remain the world's largest state sponsor for terrorism and we don't believe that them being able to trade
and weapons of war with impunity are remotely acceptable. We will return to the United Nations to re-impose sanctions so that the arms embargo will
become permanent next week. We believe deeply that this is good for the people of all nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But it does seem that Donald Trump has given Iran's hard line as the - let's call it the gift of a rift. Five years ago the world was united
behind the JCPOA's ability to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, now it seems Europeans holding their heads in their hands as Donald Trump tears this
deal to pieces America really standing on its own on this one, Sam.
KILEY: Yes, very much so. I mean, on Sunday the United Kingdom, France and Germany, three arguably of the closest allies historically with the United
States ever, put out a joint statement saying that the U.S. ceased to be a participant to the JCPOA following their withdrawal from the deal on the
8th of May 2018.
Consequently the purported notification received from the U. S. and circulated to the Security Council is incapable of having legal effect
rather arcane language what they mean there is the Americans tore up their side, they tore up their part of the contract, therefore, they're not part
of this discussion.
They've been flat-handed completely by the European allies. And of course, this, as you rightly point out, is the gift of a rift, and that's exactly,
really, how the Iranians have been characterizing it. This is what President Rouhani said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT: Whatever the U.S. is saying, statements they are making, is nothing, but kind of rebellion. Nobody will accept and
nobody will buy those comments. And the repercussions of those statements and posturing will backfire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sam, quite the warning from Pompeo to the Europeans if they refuse to play ball. He is threatening consequences. He says, and I quote
here "If U.N. member states fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic
authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of U.N. prohibited activity". Just how will this
all play out, do you think?
KILEY: Well, it's extremely complex. I mean, the first thing to say is none of this really could have time to come into effect in any meaningful way at
all before the November elections, and so it depends on who wins those elections in the United States to see whether or not the U.S. were to
impose this.
Now, John Defterios no doubt will pick a lot of the detail on this, but broadly speaking, the Europeans have already been trying to figure out a
way of circumventing the bilateral sanctions already imposed on Iran by the United States because they want to encourage Iran to come in from the cold.
They equally wouldn't necessarily disagree at all with Mike Pompeo's view that the Iranians have remained a destabilizing force across the Middle
East. There would be more that that is a problem, but if we reject them, if we bully them, in the words of some diplomats, then we're not going to get
any kind of result.
The American answer is well, the tighter we squeeze them, the less money they have, the more they understand the negative consequences of their
actions around the globe, particularly from the American and the Israeli perspective that are supporting this American effort in terms of
development of potentially nuclear weapons, ultimately, Becky.
ANDERSON: Donald Trump believes he will be able to cut a deal with Tehran after the election, no doubt. That's certainly what he suggested last week
that he will cut a deal after he is re-elected. John, we've been talking about what the U.S. might do so far as the Europeans are concerned? How
might they force the hand of the Europeans if they don't comply with this snapback? What's the incendiary damage here, do you think?
[11:40:00]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: That's a good way to put it, Becky, because the U.S. uses hardball tactics, let's put it that way, and
we can look at a few examples as of late. Just ask Huawei or WeChat or Tik Tok, right because you can target the partners of those organizations if
they have U.S. assets.
I think the best case study for this is a Nord Stream 2 pipeline going from Russia to Germany, right? This is supported by Germany; it's supported by
the European Union. So what did the U.S. do at the 11th hour? That pipeline was 95 percent done.
They targeted the port in Germany and the contractors that are working on the construction to finalize the project. Any of those who have U.S.
assets, you can bet that the State Department will go after it.
When the U.S. talks about domestic measures that they have in their coat pocket, if you will, this is translated into the U.S. Treasury and the U.S.
Commerce Department. They'll unleash the weaponry of the U.S. unilateral sanctions on any companies that support Iran.
We also have to put into context, Becky, the damage that's been done so far. Sam touched upon it, but you have to really think of the last three
years for the Iranian people and President Rouhani himself in terms of trying to manage expectations internally.
We're looking at a fifth of the GDP gone in three years, Becky, another contractual 6 percent this year. We have youth unemployment probably
hovering around 30 percent, but the overall unemployment rate is at 16 percent hyperinflation, because the Real hit another record low. We're
looking that level at 35 percent.
Now Donald Trump tried to force the Iranians to zero on exports, and this is where the U.S. Security Council and the allies of Russia and China
stepped in. They're providing that safety valve, if you will, to allow Iran to still export. And even under the U.N. deal that you see in place right
now, it does allow for humanitarian reasons for food to come into the country.
But most importantly because oil and gas are the number one export earners for Iran to continue that as much as possible. I can imagine the Trump
Administration would like to make another push here to say, come on, the United Nations, this snapback effort here, let's take that down to zero. I
don't see it happening, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. John, thank you for that. It's interesting, I was just considering a fifth of GDP lost in three years. That should
absolutely shock us. It's the sort of number that no economy should be able to bear. It's exactly what the U.K. is projected to lose this year after
this COVID pandemic.
Not to suggest by any stretch or dismiss the impact of this maximum pressure on the Iranians. But it is interesting when we've got this COVID
cloud hanging over us just what sort of damage that has also done, not just, for example, the U.K. economy but of course, the Iranian economy as
well.
John, thank you. Let me just get you an update from another country that we follow closely here on the show, and that is Lebanon. Iran, of course, a
big player there because it backs Hezbollah and that is part of the reason why the country is unable to form a coherent government.
But Lebanon has a myriad of problems beyond that interfering its ability to govern properly. In the midst of all of that, the country's president had
this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said that you made several proposals which were not agreed on. If this issue was not agreed on, where are we headed?
MICHEL AOUN, PRESIDENT OF LEBANON: Of course, to hell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Lebanon's political crisis only worsened when the government stepped down last month in the wake of the Beirut Port explosion. Talking
about losing a fifth of GDP, there is another country that's been able to succeed in doing that. We are taking a very short break. Thank you for
joining us back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: The U.S. election is now just six weeks away and once again foreign policy high on the list of important issues. One international
talker that dominated the 2016 U.S. elections was Brexit. And in 2020, Joe Biden is entering the fray, recently warning Brittany massed on the Good
Friday Agreement in order to get a deal with the U.S. post Brexit.
Our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joining me now. And what did you find, sir, when you were there in Ireland?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, you know what, Becky, a lot of people particularly south of the border of Ireland really
like and respect the fact that Joe Biden is weighing in, and they believe, looking out for their interests.
But equally north of the border, Northern Ireland, the Northern Irish Unionist politicians think that Joe Biden is out of his depth, doesn't know
what he's talking about on a complicated subject by whole Brexit deal and what Boris Johnson is doing has already got them very rankled.
But there is no doubt, the hometown of Joe Biden, if you want to call it his hometown where he has so many ancestors from in Ireland; they are
rooting for him to become president.
ROBERTSON: Crisp, clean and freshly hung. No trouble guessing who this Irish town Ballina backs for U.S. president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did this in a warehouse so nobody knew it was happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Every moment recorded painting, transporting in the dead of night, hanging with the sunrise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reaction was just wild. Just literally blew people away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Part of the attraction, Biden has dozens of distant cousins here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BLEWITT, JOE BIDEN'S COUSIN: He's a really a family man. We've missed him a few times now and we've been in the same room and he is just
really nice genuine, strong family man.
CATHERINA BLEWITT, JOE BIDEN'S COUSIN: He quotes - he quotes - he has a real love of his Irish heritage or not, but also has a real strong
understanding of the reality of life in our end right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: When then VP Biden visited Ballina in 2016, most of the town turned out. Today they love that Biden tweeted Boris Johnson against Brexit
maneuver potentially at the cost of the U.S./U.K trade deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
C. BLEWITT: To see Vice President Biden's tweet reiterating the importance of the Good Friday Agreement. I think here it resonates with a lot of
people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Biden's concerns are about peace and it all starts here at the border. The Republic of Ireland here, Northern Ireland up here, it's open
just like driving from one U.S. state to another.
But Boris Johnson's proposals could change that, could lead to customs posts, a hard border, and that in turn could lead to violence. North of the
border in British Northern Ireland, pro-British unionists don't like Biden's interfering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMMY WILSON, DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY MP FOR EAST ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND: He ought to be ashamed of himself, because he's playing with the
lives of people in Northern Ireland to pander to some section of his vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Back south of the border in Ballina, former Irish Government Minister Dara Calleary says Wilson has it wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARA CALLEARY, FIANNA FAIL MP FOR COUNTY MAYO, IRELAND: It's not just political. It's not just about votes. The U.S. politicians recognize their
role in protecting the Good Friday Agreement.
J. BLEWITT: We don't want to hide - back again - it was years and years of trouble. Everything has gone very low and people are getting on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Since Biden's tweet last week, President Trump's Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, issued the same warning. Even so,
Ballinas picked its man.
[11:50:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMILER MITCHELL, MURAL ARTIST: Everybody is for Joe Biden in this town. I think he's going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: If he does, the town will be counting on him to keep his word. So you want to look at one of the big takeaways here, Becky? Well, yes, I
said the town would be counting on Biden to keep his word.
The problem is it's Boris Johnson's word that's being put at test here, if you will, right now, the idea that he might break the terms of the
withdrawal agreement with the European Union, that in essence he might break international law. It's trusting Boris Johnson now that seems in
short supply.
And whether you talk to the Irish politicians south of the border or the Northern Irish Unionist politicians north of the border who already feel
that Boris Johnson let them down, that trust in Boris Johnson, it just isn't there. It's really left him in a very difficult position, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating always a pleasure thank you, sir. We have some reporting. Even in a pandemic, the show must go on. Let me come back. We'll
look at how the biggest awards in U.S. television made social distancing part of the program, that's after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've taken every safety precaution, and these are, tonight, nominees. Hello, everybody! Congratulations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that is how the Emmys, which one of the best in U.S. television, pulled off an awards show during a pandemic. They used 130
different live cameras all over the world to take viewers into the homes of the nominees and, indeed, to help hand out the trophies. "Schitt's Creek"
was the big winner, sweeping the top seven comedy awards and winning an unprecedented nine Emmys.
HBO's "Succession" and "Watchmen" also had big nights, winning best drama and best limited series. Stephanie Elam is joining me from L.A. with more.
It's good to talk something a bit lighter with you, Steph. Thanks for joining us. What were your highlights? And what was it like doing the Emmys
in the middle of a pandemic?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very different. For one thing I did get here to work really early in the morning to get hair and makeup and go
stand out on the carpet. That was very different because I watched it from my couch just like everybody else did.
So, it was a very different experience, and I have to say that people did not know really Becky, what to expect from a socially distant Emmys
production that's live with Jimmy Kimmel hosting from Staples Center, which is a massive arena. And the way they started off the show was to have cuts
of people laughing in the audience.
So you would almost think, oh, it's a full Staples Center. And then you would see that they cut to an image of himself laughing in the audience,
and he was like, wait, was that me? And then he starts to address the fact that of course they didn't have a bunch of people in there because of the
pandemic.
They said they had less than a dozen stars actually coming to Staples Center, making sure they kept everyone socially distant for all of their
skits, and most everybody else was at home and getting people basically dressed up in hazmat suits that looked like tuxedos to bring people their
Emmys when they won in different places.
So it was definitely a very different show than you might expect. But one thing that did happen is you definitely saw politics play into the award
winners' speeches.
[11:55:00]
ELAM: And you definitely saw social justice come up, there were a lot of Black Lives Matter T-shirts, t-shirts of Breonna Taylor, the young woman
who is killed in her house. And that was one thing that we saw happening there as well, and also a lot of calls for people to vote as well. That's
another thing that came up over and over again throughout this show for sure, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely fascinating. There will be people around the world who may not know the sort of inner workings of these nominations as
much as you do. Were you surprised by anything you saw, briefly?
ELAM: I would just say that some of the surprising things were just how well it went off and there weren't a lot of glitches. I would actually say
that it kind of stepped up the production level in some way because you were waiting to see how they were going to do it.
ANDERSON: Got it.
ELAM: And then watching how people took that moment to speak and really make a point about the climate that we're living through right now.
ANDERSON: Yes. Good stuff. A subject that you have been reporting on brilliantly out in the field Steph, always a pleasure. Thank you so much
for joining us. And speaking of awards, the Emmys for news and documentaries are in about eight hours from now, and I'm proud to say that
"Connect the World" is up for two of them.
So I will be burning the midnight oil to catch that, let me tell you, and it's part of an historic set of nominations for CNN, some 38 in total. So I
have to say I'm going to take this opportunity to say good luck to everyone at this network and beyond. Thank you for being with us for watching the
shows, for appreciating the shows and indeed for staying in touch with us on social media.
We read everything. We enjoy getting what your thoughts and your feedback. Please continue to do it. And while we are on the topic of history, let's
end where we began the show in 1945 at the beginnings of the United Nations.
No one in this picture will likely be alive, but they imagined a world more united and so safer and richer and more comfortable, more amazing than ever
before after the impossible tragedy of the Second World War.
We must do the same as we face our own tests climate, pandemic, conflict and everything else. Look into the past to see our future. Good night. Stay
safe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
