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Connect the World
Extreme Weather Events Loom over Critical Climate Talks; ICIJ: Documents Reveal Inner Workings of a Shadow Economy; Pipeline Leak Spews Crude Oil into the Pacific; E.U.-Australia Trade Talks Delayed; Whistleblower Gives Bombshell Interview; Biden Urges Congress to Raise U.S. Debt Limit. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 04, 2021 - 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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ANNOUNCER: Live from London. This is "Connect the World" with Max Foster.
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello and welcome to "Connect the World". I'm Max Foster in for Becky today. All this week we are talking
about the climate crisis. The issue that unites every person on the planet is first of several theme weeks at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
This week, it's all about climate and biodiversity, accelerating collective action to protect vulnerable people and ecosystems and promoting a
sustainable future. And that involves not just government officials and scientists but also financial experts, business leaders, and even religious
leaders.
In fact, representatives from several religions have just delivered an urgent appeal for the upcoming COP-26 climate talks. They've been meeting
with scientists at the Vatican and together they're urging COP-26 to save the planet from what the Pope called an unprecedented ecological crisis.
With the climate talks in Glasgow less than four weeks away there are still major gaps in what's been promised and what's needed as Becky reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Devastating floods, raging wildfires, monstrous hurricanes, extreme weather events are increasing in
intensity and frequency before our eyes, signs that the planet is warming at an alarming rate. And it's affecting our lives and our livelihoods.
World leaders will again come together to address the climate crisis and the larger issue of what is being done to prevent it from getting worse.
This year's event COP-26, the United Nations is put on the climate change summit for nearly three decades.
This Conference of the parties is attended by countries that signed the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1994. The 12 day then will
be held in Glasgow in Scotland, and it's hosted by the UK and Italy.
More than 190 world leaders are expected to attend along with tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and
citizens. To secure global net zero emissions by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming compared to pre-industrial temperatures
within reach countries must meet their emissions reductions targets adapt to protect communities and natural habitats and they must mobilize finance.
Countries have to deliver on raising at least $100 billion in climate finance each year, something that was agreed to more than a decade ago in
2010 when the UNFCCC developed the Green Climate Fund and worked together to deliver on these goals.
The organizers say the talks will be the world's best last chance to get the runaway climate crisis under control. And time is running out. We've
seen this movie before. Big conferences year after year where leaders commit to implementing policies government yet little is done.
GRETA THUNBERG, SWEDISH CLIMATE ACTIVIST: All leaders' intentional lack of action is a betrayal towards all present and future generations. The people
in power cannot claim that they are trying because they are clearly not.
ANDERSON (voice over): While some climate advocates are skeptical about the possibility for real change after so many parts of the world have been
impacted by recent extreme weather events. Event leaders are hopeful that this time the goals are attainable. Becky Anderson, CNN Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir has been around the world covering how global warming affects both people and the planet? This
special documentary "Route Change" was a finalist at this year's covering climate now journalism awards. Take a look at this clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): I know what your vegan what's your carbon footprint? Where? How much do you burn making
shows like this? Well, last year just in commercial air travel, it was about 110 tons.
It's impossible to rent an electric vehicle big enough to hold my crew and gear for at least a decade away from carbon free jumbo jets. So the best I
can do is eat less meat, take more trains and buy enough carbon offsets to plant 2423 urban trees.
But that's not a fix. But at least it's something which is why Al Gore says he tripled offsets all the carbon he burns.
WEIR (on camera): Do you think it's important individually to show that sort of commitment in order for your message to be taken seriously?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do. And I do that but at the same time, as important as it is to change your light bulbs is way more important to
change the nation's policies.
[11:05:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Weir joining me live from New York. We're pushing ahead to COP-26 also we've got the climate crisis dominating Expo 2020. So
what do you think? Are those global policy sorts of priorities for the people that are making decisions of these events?
WEIR: Well, so much of it, I think Max comes down to climate finance, at least in this setting right here, the global south, the developing world
will unfairly reap the whirlwind of this crisis created largely by wealthy countries.
So what sort of loss and damage rights will they have if entire islands disappear? I talked about my carbon footprint in the in the road to change
special, I should point out that that term of carbon footprint was invented by British Petroleum, and their advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather, to
really offload the responsibility onto the consumer and away from the oil producers out there.
And they're really fighting hard against losing social license these days. There's a big oil spill happening right now in Southern California, which
makes that message harder to do. But there'll be so much scrutiny now on these petro states and their ambitions coming to Glasgow, and what you
know, frankly, carbon cooking, a planet cooking pollution, attics, like the United States are willing to do to lead by example.
FOSTER: We've got this infrastructure bill that we were reporting on earlier. And in the U.S., it's a huge deal isn't it's huge amount of money,
but it also has climate implications. Are we sort of better off focusing on events like that, and lobbying events like that, rather than, you know,
focusing on whether or not we're changing our light bulbs in the correct way?
WEIR: Absolutely. You know, so much of the problem is caused by you know, a handful of giant multinational corporations, which can only be swayed by
new policies, new laws, new regulations out there.
So yes, that's and to see what the United States does. The U.S. military is the biggest pollution emitter, probably the single entity in the world
right now, can they electrify those forces before they ask everybody else to do the same in their own homes.
So much of it is sort of setting the agenda and without the United States' robust involvement. None of the pledges can actually come to fruition. The
biggest historical emitter second now to China in real time, but without you know, the richest economy, the richest civilization in human history is
full support and robust leadership on this nothing can really come to bear.
So much pressure on John Kerry, who admits it's the time as he says the time for BS is over and with so many of these increasing, unpredictable
weather events becoming more and more a part of our lives. Maybe this year on the 26th meeting of these folks, there'll be something new.
FOSTER: It's a tough challenge for you guys, isn't it getting people engaged with this, because people do care about the environment. But as you
say, they're having 26 meetings, and, frankly, not enough has come out of them.
WEIR: Ultimately, Max, it's sort of like the COVID pandemic was a lesson in the strength of local communities. And those who rally around science and
are prepared with an action plan before people start hurting or dying are the ones that suffer the least. And that is certainly the rule for this new
world we've created.
Adaptation to this is as important as mitigating the problem. Getting used to getting ready for what's coming and changing ways as fast as we can. But
yes, it's the greatest challenge because we don't want to think that all the things that made us spectacular as humans and extended our lifespans is
the same thing ultimately, that could come back to destroy everything we hold dear.
It's a huge psychological problem on top of the political one, the economic one and everything else. But the more we talk about it, the more we address
it the closer we'll get to some sense of a solution.
FOSTER: Bill Weir, thank you. Coming up, we live in California as the state faces an ecological disaster which is immediately in front of us. More on
the major oil spill is already killing wildlife and threatening wetlands.
And later a CNN exclusive we catch up with Australia's Trade Minister. Hear the plans for Australia's reopening as COVID cases there show signs of
easing. Plus a new report on how the rich and powerful hides their money? We take a deep dive into the Pandora Papers.
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[11:10:00]
FOSTER: --a huge trove of documents reveals how the rich and powerful operates and how they can hide billions of dollars within secret straw
companies, bank accounts and trust, avoiding taxes and creditors and accountability?
The report is called the "Pandora Papers". Almost 12 million financial records were obtained by a team of reporters from the International
Consortium of Investigative Journalists and hundreds more journalists around the world.
The report includes details on the offshore accounts of more than 130 people listed by Forbes as billionaires and more than 330 politicians and
public officials in more than 90 countries and territories. We should note CNN hasn't done its own analysis of the legalities here.
And using these financial instruments could be perfectly legal, depending on where and how they use? CNN's Pamela Brown spoke with Washington Post
Investigative Foreign Correspondent Greg Miller, one of the journalists reporting on the Pandora Papers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG MILLER, FOREIGN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT, THE WASHINGTON POST: There's not anything necessarily illegal about that. But it does create a
lot of problems, it leads to tax evasion, these offshore systems are often exploited by criminals to hide ill-gotten gains corrupt politicians.
And just - as you put it at the top of the show, I mean, just the very, very wealthy in moving money and hiding money in ways that the rest of us
simply can't or don't tend to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Clare Sebastian joins me to help break this down for us. I mean, I think the reality is Clare that you know, whilst this is quite shocking on
one level; people aren't that surprised that's been going on, but we're getting the detail of how it works, right?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think Mike's certainly following on from the Panama Papers that were released in 2016. This may not come as
a huge shock to many, but we're talking about some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people.
And interestingly, some of the most notable cases that have come out of these reports have been in developing countries, countries where taxes may
have been raised where poverty rates are high, where the tax receipts from the money that has been hidden, or where it's been, you know, taxes have
been invaded would have been extremely useful.
And I want to start it in Pakistan because this is interesting because the previous reporting on this, the Panama Papers actually helped unseat the
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif and installed his successor, Imran Khan.
Now "The Washington Post", it says that there's no indication in the Pandora papers that Imran Khan is at all implicated in this. But according
to the ICIJ, it does implicate to at least several of his close associates, one of his ministers and a top donor who funded his party.
Now he has said in a tweet this morning, he says, "My government will investigate all our citizens mentioned in the Pandora Papers, and if any
wrongdoing is established, we will take appropriate action. I call on the international community; he says to treat this grave injustice as similar
to the climate change crisis".
So he is clearly making it, you know, sending a message here that this will not be tolerated continuing at his hard stance on anti-corruption. And
another notable instance in these files Max is in Jordan where King Abdullah II according to the ICIJ, he had purchased 14 homes worth $106
million mainly in the UK in the U.S.
He did that apparently through front companies registered in tax havens. And the ICIJ also says that he had hired accountants and lawyers in
Switzerland and the British Virgin Islands.
[11:15:00]
SEBASTIAN: They formed shell companies on his - in his behalf and made plans apparently to shield his name from public view Jordan a country
that's got a high poverty rate heavily reliant on international aid and where we've seen actual protests in recent years over the raising of taxes
and austerity measures.
This is the statement from the Hashemite - Royal Hashemite court in Jordan, they say it is no secret his Majesty owns a number of apartments and
residences in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is neither unusual nor improper.
They say these properties are not publicized out of its out of security and privacy concerns and not out of secrecy or an attempt to hide them. As
these reports have claimed they say any allegations that link these private properties to public funds or assistance are baseless and deliberate
attempts to distort facts.
But obviously major political questions around these issues even though of course Max there's no indication as of yet that any of this was illegal.
FOSTER: And you focused on developing countries but the developed countries are also equally pulled up on this.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, I think overall 91 countries were implicated in some way 91 countries or territories and what another one that stood out Former British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, according to the BBC, which is another partner on this reporting the Blair's attorney and his wife, Cherie Blair avoided
paying more than $400,000 worth of stamp duty, which is, of course, a tax that you pay in the UK, when you buy a property.
They did that in 2017. They bought a property in London, not by buying the actual property, but by buying according to the BBC at an offshore firm
that owned the property. And that is how they avoided paying that tax also, sort of catching attention because its Prime Minister Tony Blair, really
sort of, you know, raised taxes, campaigned on a fairer tax system, use that to fund welfare, all of those things.
His wife, Cherie Blair has given a statement to the BBC, she said, it is not unusual for a commercial office building to be held in a corporate
vehicle of a vendor's such property not to want to dispose of the property separately, referring to the fact that that house now houses her own law
firm.
All of the arrangements, she says were made for the express purpose of bringing the company and the building back into the UK tax and regulatory
regime where it has remained ever since all taxes, she says have been paid ever since and all accounts openly filed in accordance with the law.
Again, no indication that this was illegal, but of course, raising a lot of questions as we get more and more out of these papers.
FOSTER: OK, Clare, thank you as lots go through, I realize. Now CNN U.S. Senior U.S. officials confirm their commitment to the humane repatriation
of migrants during meetings in Port-au-Prince, with Haiti's Prime Minister last week, that pledge will likely be put to the test because thousands of
Haitians are still attempting the dangerous trek to the U.S. and South America. Stefano Pozzebon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Trudging across rivers, up rocky slopes, and through gorgeous of mud, they crossed nearly 100
kilometers of jungle, the terrain as much of a threat as criminal gangs lurking inside these Haitian migrants are among thousands in Colombia,
continuing a police journey with a singular goal.
-- says Haitian migrant Francisco but it lasts for a minute or a half an hour then goes away because you regain motivation to reach the United
States. Fransisco is following a route thousands of migrants are taking Northwards from Colombia. They begin in - arrived by boat to a candy then
cross Colombia's - jangle towards the Panamanian Border.
Most of travel three to four days in that stretch of rain forest, partially controlled by criminal groups and traffickers who allegedly robbed, rape
and assault of some of those passing through, and the toward thousands of braving the dangerous journey.
Many had migrated from Haiti to South America years earlier. But recently, increasingly strict immigration policies, pandemic impacts, and in some
places racism are pushing them out of the countries where they had one settled.
In recent months, is in pandemic travel restrictions have led to a surge in migrant traffic along the treacherous route. It's a continued dilemma
passed from one country to the next. In August, Colombia and Panama agreed to 500 migrants called cross through each day by local officials say that
quota is too low, leaving thousands stuck in cities and towns where resources are running out.
JORGE TOBON, NECOCLI, COLOMBIA MAYOR: People feel desperate because they can no longer get food. In addition, many migrants are running out of
money. Migrants have been more than a month in our municipality. The situation is unbearable and very complicated for us.
POZZEBON (voice over): It seems few places in Latin America are well equipped to welcome Haitian refugees who are among scores of other migrants
here also fleeing political upheaval economic unrest and violence at home.
In recent years, millions have poured across the borders of Venezuela, El Salvador, Honduras and elsewhere in the region, while hundreds of thousands
more have arrived from West Africa.
[11:20:00]
POZZEBON (voice over): One of them is the immigrant so a chef from Togo who migrated to Chile to work as a gardener. When we first met several weeks
ago, - was crossing that same stretch of jungles between Colombia and Panama, determine to reach his final destination.
POZZEBON (on camera): Where in the United States you want to go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Georgia.
POZZEBON (voice over): September 15th, - messaged me saying he made it he had crossed into the United States, but that was the last day heard from
him. Since then, he has been unresponsive. What became of his long journey and clear tracing events path. These migrants also face an uncertain fate,
where they desperately seek a better life, and risk everything in hope they may find this. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Some health experts are warning Americans not to let their guard down when it comes to COVID. It comes as new cases and hospitalizations are
on the decline nationwide, as you can see. But experts say that churn might not last if Americans get too complacent.
Already, the toll the virus has taken on the U.S.'s staggering on Friday; the country topped 700,000 COVID deaths. And Dr. Anthony Fauci tells CNN
many of those could have been prevented.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Many of those deaths were unavoidable, but many, many
are avoidable, were avoidable and will in the future be avoidable. The number it is staggering, you're absolutely correct.
But hopefully that will then spur us to realize that we do have interventions in the form of a vaccine to prevent infection to prevent
severe disease to prevent death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, New York City seems to be heeding his advice, starting today, public school employees who have not been vaccinated won't be allowed back
in the door. Instead, they're facing months of unpaid leave. The policy faces some legal challenges, but last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined
the request to block it from taking effect.
Now there is some good news on the COVID front, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the U.S. appears to be turning a corner with this latest surge.
New cases and hospital admissions are declining across much of the country. But he warned Americans against getting too complacent, saying millions
more still needs to get vaccinated. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The United States may be turning the corner when it comes to its latest COVID surge. But in order to keep the
hospitalization and infection numbers down, more people need to get vaccinated. That's the word from the nation's top infectious disease expert
Dr. Anthony Fauci was also Chief Medical Adviser to President Biden.
Over the weekend as the United States surpassed 700,000 deaths. Dr. Anthony Fauci said that still more needs to be done in terms of vaccination
efforts. The latest CDC numbers showing that about 56 percent of Americans are fully protected right now against the virus through a vaccine.
He also expressed some concern that with the promise of a new COVID treatment and new, oral, anti-viral, and many of those unvaccinated
Americans may simply choose to bypass getting vaccinated. Fauci saying that is not a good idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: It is never OK to get infected. You know, you heard the numbers, it decreased the risk of this pill did have hospitalizations and deaths by
50 percent. You know, the way to decrease the risk by 100 percent doesn't get infected in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Merck back therapeutics, that maker of that antiviral says that their product can potentially cut the risk of COVID death and
hospitalizations by nearly half those companies saying that they plan to submit their product for emergency use authorization to the FDA as soon as
possible. Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
FOSTER: Coming up, CNN gets an exclusive interview with Australia's Trade Minister hear what he says about progress against COVID and Australia's
relations with the EU dropped a submarine deal with France. And the Former Facebook Employee says the company is harming society and knows that
details of her bombshell interview are coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
FOSTER: This week, climate and biodiversity are the focus as people from around the world gather in Dubai for Expo 2020. Right now the environment
is front and center in California, after an oil spill of the state's Southern Coasts sent thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Pacific
Ocean.
The oil is threatening the region's wetlands and wildlife dead fish and birds have been washing ashore. The oil spill happens just a few kilometers
off the coast of Huntington Beach in Orange County. Natasha Chen is there she joins us live, they still don't actually know where the source of this
leak is?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well Max, we know that it's likely on a 17 mile pipeline that connects from a processing platform
to the shore. And on Sunday, there were divers going underwater, the pipeline supposed to be about 80 feet underwater.
So going down to see where potentially that leak came from. And a lot of different officials in the area are asking similar questions. What caused
this? How can we fix this quickly? And how can we prevent it from happening again?
You can see our drone footage right now to show you sort of an over - overhead view of what's going on very quiet right now because people it is
still morning here in Huntington Beach. And the officials have also warned that people should really stay out of the water and stay away from the
shoreline because contact with those oil deposits that are coming on shore now could be very problematic an irritant to the skin. What's evaporating
from the spill could also be irritating to the eyes, the nose throat.
Here's the Mayor of Huntington Beach. We just spoke with her about an hour ago, talking about how this community is full of people who are very
environmentally conscious and how this is home to several wetlands protecting wildlife that is now being threatened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM CARR, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA MAYOR: For me personally, this is a really rough one. I am a beach person grew up on the beach and from this
area and so to see this happening in my backyard, it's devastating. But I also know that that we are going to do everything that we can to make this
even better than it was before
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: She did tell us that there have been reports now of wildlife washing up on shore with oil on them that we know that the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife has shut down any fisheries and fishing activity along this coastline here this concentrated area where the spill has taken place
because not only do they not want people out there fishing, they don't want people consuming fish that may have been affected by this oil spill.
We are expecting to hear from folks who are working on that sort of efforts to rescue animals in the coming couple of hours. Hopefully we'll get some
more answers on really the extent of the damage that may not be known for weeks Max.
FOSTER: In terms of you know the wildlife; what sort of scenes have you seen is it upsetting?
CHEN: We have not actually gone close to the water line just because we've been told not to. But we're hearing from people who have seen fish and
birds especially wash up with oil on them.
[11:30:00]
CHEN: And yesterday at a press conference by the US Coast Guard, they also talked about one oiled ready duck that was under veterinary care and how
they were investigating other reports of animals washing up as well.
The wetlands that are close to here they there have been conservationist groups working together for decades to protect the wildlife in those Marsh
areas. And unfortunately, the oil has seeped into some of those wetlands.
Folks are trying their best to lay a boom down to really keep that out as much as possible. But that really is a protected area that took decades to
become this way that has now been destroyed in a matter of a day.
FOSTER: OK. Let's hope for the best. Thank you very much the joining us from there, Huntington Beach. The Dubai Expo, meanwhile, is about countries
showing that they're open and ready for business in spite of the COVID pandemic. Let's head there now. Scott McLean is covering the event and it
is epic, isn't it?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the site here is absolutely massive, Max. It's hard to even describe but I'm outside the Australian pavilion
right now. And that's because I had the chance to speak with the Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism over the weekend. He was here meeting with
Emirati officials and also here to open the pavilion.
This Expo 2020 is sort of part tourist attraction part tech convention and also part forum for diplomacy. And I had a chance to ask the minister about
that submarine deal with France that was cancelled at the 11th hour.
This was a deal worth tens of billions of dollars that the Australians cancelled in favor of a nuclear submarine deal with the Americans and with
the British as well. I also asked him about the COVID-19 situation in Australia. The country is planning to loosen border restrictions once 80
percent of eligible adults are fully vaccinated. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN (on camera): You said recently that the Australian borders would be open by Christmas at the latest. When do you expect to open for tourists?
DAN TEHAN, AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR TRADE, TOURISM AND INVESTMENT: We're expecting the borders to open now in November. And we'll get them open.
Obviously returning Australians are the other priority. But we're hopeful that we'll start to see tourists coming back to Australia before Christmas
as well.
MCLEAN (on camera): Are vaccinated tourists still going to have to quarantine?
TEHAN: So we're working through that with the state governments that initially vaccinated tourists a week of home quarantine.
MCLEAN (on camera): I just wonder how can you realistically expect to attract anyone to a country if they know that when they arrive, they have
to spend seven days in a hotel room even if it's their own hotel room that they paid for not a government one.
TEHAN: Over time as we work through testing as we work through vaccination certification, we'll be able to change those requirements. And we're
confident that we'll see the tourists coming back.
MCLEAN (on camera): I think it was yesterday that you said that trade talks with the EU would be delayed until November. Why do you think that is?
TEHAN: Because I think the EU want time to be able to digest what's happened in the European Australian relationship in the last month. But
it's great that those talks will go ahead.
MCLEAN (on camera): It sounds like you're saying they need time to cool off after the nuclear submarine incident?
TEHAN: Well, what the EU has said is that they need a few weeks just to make sure that they're prepared for the next round. And they want to put it
back.
MCLEAN (on camera): To do something specifically or just to have their anger subside?
TEHAN: Well, you need to ask the European Union exactly what that what the reasons are.
MCLEAN (on camera): I think you said recently that, you know, at the end of the day, Australia has to act in its national interest. And I think people
understand that. But you can see looking back that things could have been done in a different way.
TEHAN: These were discussions that were taking place at a top security level, at the highest level when it comes to national security. So there
wasn't the ability to be able to forewarn there wasn't the ability to be able to do it a different ways.
MCLEAN (on camera): Sounds like you wouldn't do anything different.
TEHAN: Well, I think once history is that - of this is looked at. I think people will understand that there wasn't really another way to do it.
MCLEAN (on camera): How many months were those negotiations taking place for a while you were also you know, chugging along with the French
contract?
TEHAN: I'm not going to go into every intimate detail around that regard.
MCLEAN (on camera): --presumably right?
TEHAN: Obviously those talks took place over a period of months. But the contract discussions and negotiations with regards to the French submarines
also took place over months and years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: And the naval group the French submarine builder had said previously that there is no question that Australia would pay for at least
part of that canceled contract to ask the minister how much he expected that to be and he wouldn't give any kind of specifics.
But you have to imagine given the tens of billions of dollars that this contract is worth and that amount will not be insignificant.
[11:35:00]
MCLEAN: And Max on COVID-19, the minister also insist that Australia can put in other public health measures to prevent, you know, hospitals filling
up and mass casualties, because they have so little natural immunity compared to other countries.
And we've seen what happens when countries sort of open up and relax restrictions too quickly, even when vaccination rates are quite, quite
high. Case in point in the UK, the proportion of adults that are vaccinated is over 80 percent.
And they have a lot more natural immunity because of the millions and millions of cases. And yet last week alone, more than 1000 people died,
Max.
FOSTER: In terms of the criticism of the event from rights groups, they've been answering that haven't they at the event there because there's concern
about worker deaths, but they're saying the numbers are very small considering the scale of the project there.
MCLEAN: Yes, that's precisely the message that they're trying to send when they were asked about this over the weekend in a press conference saying
confirming that three workers had died during the construction of this really massive Expo site.
Three others had died from COVID-19. And there were 72 serious injuries. As you mentioned, human rights groups have long been complaining and long been
trying to point out the poor working conditions are of some of these migrant workers who come into this country and toil for relatively low pay
in the really, really extreme heat.
In fact, the European Parliament passed a resolution just last month calling on European sponsors and also member straight states to actually
withdraw from the event entirely in part because of those concerns, though, it's also important to point out that none have actually followed up on
that guidance.
The Emiratis categorically rejected that statement in the con and the content within it for that resolution, I should say and Expo organizers
insist that safety is top of mind safety is their priority.
They say that they have measures in place to make sure that contractors working on this site can keep workers safe amid the extreme heat which I'm
sure as you know; Max can in the summertime stretch into the high 40s with a lot of humidity as well in the middle of the day.
FOSTER: Yes stifling, Scott, thank you for that. Still to come, what social media is doing to our children explosive new allegations from the former
Facebook employee when we come back? Just ahead of that warplanes and warnings will take you larger Taiwan which is reporting heightened military
activity by China.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Taiwan says China has said more Military jets into what's known as its air defense identification zone. The U.S. State Department is sending
Beijing a warning, saying it's very concerned about what it costs China's provocative military activity.
[11:40:00]
FOSTER: Taiwan's defense ministry says 56 Chinese warplanes made incursions into the zone on Monday, the highest daily number since the island began
publicly reporting these activities last year. CNN's Will Ripley is in a Taiwanese capital, Taipei for us much concern there. Will?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what's concerning to certainly the leadership here in Taipei Max is that China broke its own record on Friday.
Then again, they broke the record on Saturday now a new record on Monday, and the numbers keep going up and the tensions keep escalating.
And the concern is that there could be a miscalculation with all of these warplanes in the skies near Taiwan. They're not flying into Taiwanese
airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from the coast, but they're getting very close in this buffer zone known as the air defense
identification zone.
Let me bring up a list for you and show you what has been in the skies near Taiwan just since Monday. 120 Chinese fighters 16 bombers, including
nuclear capable bombers, 17 anti-submarine aircraft, six early warning aircraft, a total of 149 Chinese war planes just in the last four days.
Now the United States putting out a statement and you might read some of it in the introduction saying the U.S. is very concerned by the People's
Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing risks miscalculations and undermines regional peace and
stability.
We urge Beijing to cease its military diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan. The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and
contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.
Just within the last couple of hours, we now have a response from Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to that U.S. statement. Let me read you a
portion. It says in recent times, the United States has continued its negative actions in selling weapons to Taiwan and boosting its official
military ties between the United States and Taiwan.
These provocative actions have damaged Sino-U.S. relations and damage, regional peace and stability. China firmly opposes this and takes necessary
countermeasures.
So the countermeasures that China is taking apparently are these military incursions into Taiwan self-declared air defense identification zone of
course, Beijing claimed sovereignty over this self-governing island of around 24 million people.
But the Taiwanese government which has its own democratically elected leaders, and they've been ruling themselves ever since the end of China's
Civil War. They reject Beijing's territorial claims and in fact, they put out their own propaganda video, saying that they're vowing to defend their
sovereignty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice over): Part of what this propaganda video says is that when faced with our enemies, aggression and provocation, we will never
compromise the Taiwanese Air Force vowing to defend their airspace.
And there are also movements in the region of U.S. and UK aircraft carriers including the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald
Reagan. They're working alongside the Japanese naval vessels right now conducting military exercises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: So Max, there's a lot happening in this part of the world a lot of military activity. And while these are routine training exercises, the
tension is palpable and it is escalating, increasing the fears of some sort of miscalculation in some sort of potential military confrontation.
FOSTER: OK, Will, thank you. A former Facebook employee turned whistleblower says the company knows its harming society and is hiding the
research that proves it. The whistleblower who used to work on Facebook's civic integrity team gave an interview to the U.S. News program 60 minutes.
She's scheduled to testify to Congress on Tuesday and has handed over tens of thousands of pages of internal Facebook documents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCES HAUGEN, FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER: There were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook. And
Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests like making more money. The version of Facebook that exists today is tearing our
societies apart and causing ethnic violence around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Facebook says her claims are misleading. CNN Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter is following the story for us. He joins us from
New York. How damaging are these allegations? We've heard similar things before but not as powerfully as this it feels.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I think that's exactly right. We've heard a lot of outside critics make these comments. Now there's a
voice coming from the inside someone who was in the room where it was happening.
And Frances Haugen said she saw so much he was so disturbed, she had to take these documents leaked them to The Wall Street Journal, leak them to
share them with Congress and try to get the word out.
What she's describing there in that clip about ethnic violence about ethnic strife around the world. We have seen this with our own eyes in Myanmar and
then all the way to Washington DC with the ride on January 6.
[11:45:00]
STELTER: And in the 60 minutes interview, she talks about research indicating that in some Eastern European countries, politicians have felt
the impact of the algorithm they've had to become more extreme in their positions.
So it's a vicious cycle that Facebook contributes to creating more and more polarization, more and more partisan politics around the world. And she is
calling that out. Max she's also talking about the impact of Facebook and Instagram.
FOSTER: Brian, we're going to interrupt I'm sorry, this is President Biden is about to speak looking ahead to the debt ceiling and infrastructure
bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Ladies and gentlemen, while the Republicans and Congress, right, what they're doing today is so
reckless and dangerous in my view. Raising the debt limit comes down to paying what we already owe, what is already been acquired, not anything
new. It starts with the simple truth.
The United States is a nation that pays its bills and always has, from its inception, we have never defaulted. What we pay for so keeps us a great
nation.
So security benefits for seniors, salaries for brave service members and benefits for veterans and other financial obligations for our people and
for our nation, we're able to meet these obligations based on the revenue we receive from taxes and based on our ability to borrow what when needed.
And in that case, we're able to borrow because we always pay our debt, we always pay what we owe, we've never failed. That's America. That's who we
are. That's what's called for. It's called full faith and credit of the United States.
It's rock solid; it's the best in the world. But here's the deal. There's a cap on what we can borrow, call the debt limit and only Congress can raise
or lower that debt limit. So let me be really clear.
This is really important to know, raising the debt limit is about paying off our old debts. It has nothing to do with any new spending being
considered. There's nothing to do with my plan for infrastructure, or building back better zero, zero both of which I might add are paid for.
So for going to make good on what's already been approved by previous congresses and previous presidents and parties, we have to pay for it,
social Security benefits.
The American people are promised salaries for servicemen and women, benefits for veterans, we're going to have to raise the debt limits, we're
going to meet those obligations.
And raising the debt limit is usually a bipartisan undertaking and it should be that's what is not happening today. The reason we have to raise
the debt limit is in part because of the reckless tax and spending policies under the previous Trump Administration.
In four years, they incurred they incurred nearly $8 trillion in four years $8 trillion dollars in additional debt. In bills, we have to now pay off.
That's more than a quarter of the entire debt incurred now outstanding after more than 200 years.
And Republicans and Congress raised the debt three times when Donald Trump was President, and each time with Democrats support. But now they won't
raise it, even though they're responsible for more than $8 trillion in bills incurred in four years under the previous administration. That's what
we'd be paying off.
They won't raise it even though defaulting on the debt would lead to self- inflicted wound that takes our economy over a cliff and risk jobs and retirement savings, Social Security benefits, salaries for service members,
benefits for veterans, it's so much more.
A failure to raise the debt limit will call into question Congress's willingness to meet our obligations that we've already incurred, not new
ones we've already incurred. This is going to undermine the safety of U.S. Treasury securities.
And it will threaten the reserve status of the dollar as the world's currency that the world relies on. American credit rating will be
downgraded. Interest rates will rise for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards borrowing.
Folks watching at home, you should know this is the republican position. Here's it is they won't vote to raise the debt limit to cover their own
spending. Democrats voted with them to cover that spend last four years the previous four years.
They say Democrats should do it alone. But then they're threatening to use a procedural power called the filibuster meaning that we'd have to get 60
votes, not 50 votes to increase the debt limit.
[11:50:00]
BIDEN: This would block the Democrats and meeting our obligations and responsibilities to prevent Congress from raising the debt limit. So let's
be clear. Not only are Republicans refusing to do their job.
They're threatened to reuse the power, their power to prevent us from doing our job, saving the economy from a catastrophic event. I think quite
frankly, is super critical, dangerous and disgraceful. Their obstruction and irresponsibility, nosey absolutely no bounds, excuse me, especially as
we're clawing our way out of this pandemic.
Democrats will meet our responsibility and obligation in this country. We're not expecting Republicans to do their part; they made it clear from -
-. We try to ask you to no avail. We just asked them not to use procedural tricks to block us from doing the job that they won't do.
Meteor is headed to crash into our economy. Democrats are willing to do all the work stopping it. Republican just has to let us do our job. Just get
out of the way. We don't want to help save the country. Get out of the way. So you don't destroy it.
We don't have time to delay with elaborate procedural schemes which Republicans proposals require scores of votes, without any certainty at
all, many of which have nothing to do with the debt limit at all. And that's when accidents happen.
The days ahead, even before the default date, people may see the value of their retirement accounts shrink. They may say interest rates go up, which
will ultimately raise their mortgage payments and car payments.
And the American people, look, I just say this way. As soon as this week, your savings in your pocket, your pocketbook could be directly impacted by
this Republican stunt. It's as simple as that.
Republicans say they will not do their part to avoid this needless calamity. So be it, but they need to stop playing Russian roulette with the
U.S. economy. It's one thing to pay our debts already acquired. It's another to require a supermajority to pay the debts already been acquired.
It's not right.
Let the Democrats vote to raise the debt ceiling this week without obstruction or further delays. Democrats in the House have already passed a
bill that would do that. It - the United States Senate where Democrats have the votes ready to pass it.
That's the only way to eliminate the uncertainty and risk that's going to harm American families and our economy. Let us vote and the mess. You know,
we've got to get this done. We must get this done. It is as I said playing Russian roulette to play these games. We can do it this week. Just get out
of the way and let us pass it. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President. Senator Mitch McConnell says he has sent a letter to you explaining his view. Have you seen that letter? Have
you communicated with him? And how dire do you believe this is if action doesn't take place in the next few days?
BIDEN: First of all, I did get a letter. I got it, 10 minutes before I walked it here. I've read it. I plan on talking to Mitch about it. And I
have been down this road once before, back when I was vice president. And I hope we can have some - honest conversation about what he's proposing.
And I think the easiest way to do this, and if the Republicans would not use the filibuster, would be to let us vote on what is already in the
senate right now passed by the House to raise the debt. And we could do that in the next several days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. You've often touted your experience in the Senate for 36 years in the Senate. Your aides have talked
about your abilities to be closer on deals involving legislation.
Why were you unable Mr. President, to close the deal with members of your own party on key parts of your legislative agenda last week? Thank you.
BIDEN: We're unable to close the deal at 99 percent of my party to people that's still under way. I don't think there's been a president who has been
able to close deals. It's been a position where he has only 50 votes in the Senate. In a bare majority in the House, this is a process, this is a
process, and we'll get it done.
[11:55:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, it sounds like you're putting the blame squarely on two U.S. senators for your inability to close that deal.
Senator Sinema and Senator Manchin, am I incorrect? Is that that the blame lies with?
BIDEN: Look, I need 50 votes in the Senate. I have 48.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leader Schumer has vowed not to raise the debt ceiling through the reconciliation process. So ultimately you've put --
BIDEN: Say that again, I am sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leader Schumer has said he won't raise the debt going through the reconciliation process. So ultimately a push comes to shove.
And Senator McConnell does not change his position. What is more important that position as Senator Schumer has or raising the debt ceiling? And then
I also have a question for you on --.
BIDEN: No, I'm not actually going to not going to answer with your ballistic on the debts; we don't confuse the American people. Number one is
the issue of reconciliation, which is like code to the American people about what's reconciliation.
There is a process that I understand the Republican leader is willing to initiate go through. That will require literally up to hundreds of votes.
It's unlimited number of votes, having nothing directly to do with the debt limit, can be for everything from Ethiopia to anything else that has
nothing to do with a debt limit.
And it's fraught with all kinds of potential danger for miscalculation. And it would have to happen twice. So you could literally have several 100
votes over the next number of days.
Everything else would come to a standstill, but you still find yourself in a situation where at the end of the day, you may have passed something that
in fact then has to be undone again, by Democrats or Republicans.
It's an incredibly complicated, cumbersome process, when there's a very simple process sitting out there. Sitting at the desk in the United States
Senate is a bill passed by the House saying, we Democrats will raise the debt limit take responsibility for rising even though we didn't some voted
to acquire that debt as well. We will go ahead and do that. That's the way to proceed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's some times reconciliation for raising the debt ceiling with which position we take.
BIDEN: I'm not - I'm not going to cross that bridge, we have to get there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: --and why you haven't yet impose the sanctions that you authorize two weeks ago Sir?
BIDEN: I'll speak to that later.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Regarding your build back better agenda, we know the top line figure from Senator Manchin is 1.5 trillion. Senator Kyrsten
Sinema has yet to really give that number where she's willing to go. And I am actually going to go, but she says she's negotiating good faith with the
White House. What is her figure?
BIDEN: I'm not going to tell you that we're in negotiations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Between 1.5 and 3.5. Is it higher, at least in the 1.5?
BIDEN: I'm not going to negotiate in public.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, how is what the Republicans are doing now? Any different from when you oppose raising the debt limit as a senator
for -- years?
BIDEN: Because we weren't calling for filibuster. We did not requiring 60 votes and it was a straight up and down vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you're talking about how you have 48 democratic votes right now, the other two have been pressured over the
weekend by activists. Joe Manchin had people on kayaks show up to his vote; - Senator Sinema last night was chased in to a restroom. Do you think that
those tactics are crossing a line?
BIDEN: I don't think they're appropriate tactics. But it happens to everybody from the only people doesn't happen to people who have secret
service standing around them. So it's part of the process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people have been trying to attack immigration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, I don't even want to comment on senators positions on the negotiations. But what do you think the size of the
reconciliation package should be? What specific dollar figure?
BIDEN: Well, I laid out what I thought it should be it's not going to be that, it's going to be less. I mean, look, the legislation, both the bill
back better piece, as well as the infrastructure piece are things that I wrote.
These, these didn't come from - Bernie Sanders or AOC or anybody else, I wrote them. I disagreed with Medicare for All. For example, I disagreed,
but I laid out what I thought would be important.
For example, I think the bill back better program is required. That we in fact have the best education available to us and I'll be speaking to this
in detail tomorrow. But look, here's the situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
END
