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New Day

New Polls on Returning to Routine During Pandemic; Trump Tweets about Buffalo Protester; Russia's Handling of Pandemic; Sharpton Calls out NFL. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 10, 2020 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:30:24]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We have a new CNN national poll just released that captures how Americans are feeling today about the coronavirus pandemic and the effect on the economy.

CNN political director David Chalian is back with the numbers.

What have you found, David?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Alisyn, one of the first things we wanted to ask folks is, do you feel comfortable now returning to your regular routine? And this is a divided nation on this. Forty nine percent say, yes, they would feel comfortable, 50 percent say no. Look at that change since May, since just last month. You see more people feel comfortable with the notion of returning to their regular routine today.

Look at how that breaks out by party. This is -- where you sit politically is how you view coronavirus in many ways. Only 23 percent of Democrats now say they would be comfortable returning to a regular routine, 53 percent of independents, 73 percent of Republicans. But, again, across all parties, you've seen an increase in that comfort level since May.

And look at this by gender. This gender gap is fascinating. Only 38 percent of women right now say they are comfortable and ready to return to their regular routine today, 61 percent say, no, they are not. It's the exact opposite for men. I mean just a complete reversal in terms of the gender divide.

We also asked whether or not people think the worst is behind us or the worst is yet to come. Well, if they're a divided country about returning to a regular routine, this also shows they are -- it is a divided America right now, 47 percent say the worst is behind us, 46 percent say the worst is yet to come.

Take a look at that 46 percent number and look how it's dropped since April. Worst is yet to come. Eighty percent said so in April. Fifty- two percent said so last month. Now it's down to 46 percent. And then, look at this, we asked, do you know someone who's been

diagnosed with coronavirus? Look at the breakdown by race here, Alisyn. Fifty percent of African-Americans now say they do, 40 percent for Latinos, 38 percent for whites in this poll, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: David, these numbers are so fascinating. I mean to see those sharp divides, gender, politics, race, really fascinating. What are they saying about the economic crisis and how they're feeling now?

CHALIAN: Yes, so we wanted to get perceptions from people, do you think that the economy has stabilized, do you think that it's starting to recover? Twenty-three percent of respondents in this poll say the economy is starting to recover, but it is 36 percent who say stabilized and not getting worse and 36 percent say still in a downturn.

By race, this also tells a different story. Only 13 percent off blacks say the economy is starting to recover versus 26 percent of whites who say so. Thirty-one percent of African-Americans say it's stabilized and not getting worse, but a majority of African-Americans, 53 percent, say the economy is still in a downturn. Only 31 percent of whites say so. So you see a difference there, as well.

Overall approval on these issues, how is Donald Trump handling the coronavirus outbreak, only 41 percent of the country approves of his handling of it, 56 percent disapprove. And on the economy, which, as you know, has been a Donald Trump strong suit, it's been one area where he has been in positive territory for much of his presidency, an even split now. That advantage erased, 48 percent approval, 48 percent disapproval for Trump on the economy. And if you see over time here, since January of this year, that number has been going down for the president on his approval of handling the economy, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Really interesting numbers.

David Chalian, thank you very much.

CHALIAN: Sure.

CAMEROTA: Instead of addressing the issue of racism, President Trump is attacking the 75-year-old peace activist who was shoved to the ground by police and suffered a head injury. We will get reaction from this protester's friend, next, and how he's doing.

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[06:38:03]

CAMEROTA: Police in Oakland, California, are investigating the deadly shooting of a 23-year-old man by highway patrol officers. Protesters are demanding answers about the death of Eric Salgado over the weekend. He was shot by three highway patrol officers in East Oakland on Saturday during a traffic stop. Police say Salgado was driving recklessly and rammed their vehicles. A woman who was also in the car was injured. Oakland's mayor says she is committed to conducting a rigorous and transparent investigation. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The 75-year-old man pushed by police officers in Buffalo is now in fair condition. While Martin Gugino (ph) recovers in the hospital from a head injury, he's enduring this new attack from the president of the United States who's questioning if the whole thing was a set-up.

Joining me now is Gugino's friend and fellow peace activist, Mark Colville.

Mark, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

I want to begin with the fact that you actually spoke to Martin yesterday morning. Tell us how he's doing.

MARK COLVILLE, FRIEND OF BUFFALO PROTESTER SHOVED AND INJURED BY POLICE: Yes, thank you. Good to be here.

He -- I spoke to him briefly on the phone yesterday. He sounded tired and he expressed that he wasn't -- he was still in some -- quite a bit of pain. He did say that -- that they're expecting him to eventually make a full recovery and he's -- he probably will be in the hospital another week or so.

BERMAN: What did he remember from the actual incident itself?

COLVILLE: Well, you know, we didn't -- we didn't get into it too much. As -- it seems like things like concentrating and being in bright lights or whatever, excuse me, causes him severe head pain. So we didn't really talk too much about that.

BERMAN: We've seen the video again and again, and it's so deeply troubling every time we see it.

What did he know about the president's attacks?

COLVILLE: Well, interestingly, that -- when we talked yesterday, I wasn't aware of -- of the tweet that came from the White House, so we didn't really discuss it.

[06:40:05]

My -- my wife actually sent him -- texted him the tweet later. And I'm happy to say that Martin's sense of humor remains intact. He had a good chuckle out of it.

BERMAN: He says -- just a chuckle? Is there something -- is there something else you can't tell us? It sounds like -- that smirk on your face indicates you may be hiding something from us here.

COLVILLE: No, I mean, Martin -- Martin -- anybody who knows him knows that he does not like to be the center of attention. He takes public action as a matter of conscience and faith, but he's -- you know, he's shy and reserved in life and, you know, even when he was asked for any public comment, his -- his only comment was that black lives matter and we should continue to protest peacefully. And that's who he is. BERMAN: Tell us what kind of a guy -- tell us more about what kind of

a guy Martin is and how it is that you have come to know him over the years.

COLVILLE: Well, yes, I've -- I've known him about 15 years. Of course, he has his roots there in Buffalo, where he grew up, and eventually returned to Buffalo to take care of his mother.

He and I met through some of the movements that we've both been involved in, particularly Witness Against Torture, which was created in the early 2000s, trying to close Guantanamo prison in Cuba, the U.S. prison there. And Martin has taken that particular issue on as almost like a personal crusade. He's gone deeply into the law to try to parse that issue and to try to bring justice through the closing of Guantanamo.

He -- he got together with -- with the organization, Witness Against Torture, which gathers several times a year to take public action and now we -- the organization has expanded to working on issues of police brutality and racial inequalities and racial justice here in the United States. So that's how we met.

Again, anybody who knows him, I've yet to hear through this media storm, I've yet to hear anybody who knows him say a bad word about him. So, I mean, Martin and I have struck up a friendship. I -- I am part of a Catholic worker house here in the inner city of New Haven, Connecticut. And Martin, under normal conditions, and that is to say before the pandemic hit, he was coming down about once a month or so just to help out with our neighborhood ministry. And so we've been friends in that vein for many years.

BERMAN: Given everything you just said, when you read the tweet from the president, the implication being that Martin is some kind of violent agitator who brought this on himself, how did that make you feel?

COLVILLE: Well, I'll say two things about that. First of all, I mean it's getting pretty obvious that the president's relationship with reality is -- continues to deteriorate. And, secondly, I mean I hesitate to even involve myself in that discussion because -- because this lie emanated from the White House, it has some kind of legitimacy that, to my mind, and probably to most of his friends, the idea of even addressing it or trying to dispute it, you know, maybe increases that legitimacy a little bit. And I would -- I wouldn't want to do that. That would be dishonoring to Martin. So -- and as I've said before, I mean, Martin's life stands for itself. It speaks for itself. There's no -- there's nothing secret about it, certainly. And, you know, so, there's just -- it's a -- it's a shame that, you know, reality is such a harsh -- a harsh thing to deal with for those who are supposed to be leading us in this country, especially at this moment in our history, at a very dangerous moment.

BERMAN: Mark Colville, it's a smart approach you're taking. I appreciate your circumspect attitude on this. I appreciate you being with us. Please give our best to Martin and wish him a speedy recovery the next time you speak with him. COLVILLE: I certainly will. Thanks a lot.

BERMAN: All right, so Russia is third in the world for coronavirus cases, but only a fraction of deaths, at least according to their records, compared to other countries.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And it sort of added to this suspicion that Russia has somehow been manipulating the facts, manipulating the figures, perhaps in order to prevent the Kremlin from being criticized.

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[06:45:04]

BERMAN: CNN asks Vladimir Putin's top spokesperson why the numbers just don't add up.

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BERMAN: This morning, the World Health Organization is clarifying its confusing statement about how often coronavirus is spread by people without symptoms. The WHO official said Monday that asymptomatic spread is, quote, very rare, a message that contradicted what the CDC has been saying for months. The same official now says she meant to say that she has not seen evidence indicating that transmission from asymptomatic individuals is widespread. The CDC estimates that 40 percent of coronavirus transmissions are occurring before people feel sick. And there's a difference between people who never get symptoms and people who ultimately do, pre-symptomatic versus asymptomatic. The World Health Organization now trying to clean that all up.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right, meanwhile, Russia has been hit very hard by coronavirus. In an exclusive CNN interview, President Putin's spokesman, who himself tested positive for the virus, is defending Russia's handling of the pandemic and questions about why the mortality rate is only a fraction of other countries.

[06:50:06]

CNN's Matthew Chance pressed for answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's accused of hiding the true extent of Russia's coronavirus pandemic, of abandoning exhausted doctors to its ravages, using the lockdown to crackdown on dissent. But the Kremlin's chief spokesman is now defending his country's coronavirus response.

CHANCE (on camera): Back in march, President Putin said the situation in Russia was under control. In fact, better than in other countries. But within a few weeks, it had suffered the second highest number of coronavirus infections in the world. What went wrong?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, actually, nothing has went wrong, except the coronavirus itself. Our country uses the maximum possible amount of tests for coronavirus. And the more you test, the more you detect.

CHANCE: Yes, it's not just the -- the number of viral infections. It's the fact that the mortality rate, as well, is remarkably low. And it sort of added to this suspicion that Russia has somehow been manipulating the facts, manipulating the figures, perhaps in order to prevent the Kremlin from being criticized.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't agree with that assessment. Have you ever thought about the possibility of Russia's health care system being more effective?

CHANCE: Is that your explanation?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) giving an opportunity for more people to stay alive.

CHANCE (voice over): In fact, the strain on Russian health care has been one of the most alarming features of Russia's pandemic. Across the country, doctors complaining of poor conditions, lack of personal protection equipment, and unpaid wages. There was even a spate of mysterious plunges of doctors out of high windows, perhaps a sign of desperation with their plight.

There have been protests, too. Rare in Russia, but still worrying for the Kremlin, as approval ratings for President Vladimir Putin sink to all-time lows.

CHANCE (on camera): How concerned are you that this pandemic has dented the popularity of President Putin perhaps irreparably?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Putin has stated numerous times that he didn't care about his personal rate. That in politics, if you are a real statesman, you shouldn't think about your rating, because if you think only about your rating, you won't be able to take responsible decisions.

CHANCE (voice over): Decisions like when to ease restrictions. Despite a stubbornly high infection rate, Moscow is now lifting its unpopular lockdown ahead of a key public vote to extend Vladimir Putin's rule. Maybe the Kremlin does care about ratings after all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well, Alisyn, and, of course, the figures that have just come in over the past few minutes continue to support that idea that the coronavirus infection rate in Russia is very stubborn, indeed. Another 8,500 nearly new infections over the course of the past 24 hours, bringing to nearly half a million people in the country that have got the virus. It's still one of the big epicenters of this pandemic.

CAMEROTA: Matthew Chance, thank you for posing all of those questions to the Kremlin. Really interesting. Well, some progress on getting the baseball season started. Where do things stand with the MLB?

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[06:57:44]

BERMAN: So, this morning, what happens now for Colin Kaepernick. The Reverend Al Sharpton calling for action from the NFL in his eulogy for George Floyd.

Andy Scholes with more now in the "Bleacher Report."

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

You know in that video Roger Goodell released last week, he said the NFL, they were wrong for the way they handled players' peaceful protests, but he did not mention Colin Kaepernick by name. And while speaking at George Floyd's funeral yesterday, Reverend Al Sharpton said, you know, he wants more than an apology for Kaepernick.

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REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Head of the NFL said, yes, maybe we was wrong. Football players, maybe they did have the right to peacefully protest. Well, don't apologize, give Colin Kaepernick a job back. When Colin took a knee, he took it for the families in this building. And we don't want an apology, we want him repaired (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, big cheers there. Kaepernick began protesting during the 2016 season by kneeling during the national anthem to raise awareness of social injustice and police brutality. He has not played in the NFL since that season.

All right, in the meantime, Major League Baseball Players Association offering a deal to try to start the 2020 season. According to a source familiar with the proposal, it calls for an 89-game schedule with opening day on July 10th. Players will receive full pro-rated salaries and the playoffs will be expanded to eight teams per league, so 16 total.

According to ESPN, the owners last offer called for a 76-game season with the players getting just 75 percent of their pro-rated salaries. So, John, still hard to tell how close these two sides are to a deal. Good sign is, though, at least that they are exchanging officers, it seems like, on a daily basis. But, you know, it seems like the worst- case scenario here is Rob Manford, the commissioner of baseball, just coming out and saying, we're playing a 48-game season, which would be really weird because a lot of interesting things could happen in just 48 games.

Look, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. They don't have much more time to get back on the field at this point, Andy.

SCHOLES: Yes.

BERMAN: Thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

SCHOLES: All right.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prosecutors reportedly tried to strike a plea deal with Derek Chauvin, the officer who is charged in George Floyd's killing.

[07:00:03]

BROOKE WILLIAMS, GEORGE FLOYD'S NIECE: And these laws need to be changed. No more hate crimes, please. Someone said, make America great again.

END