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New Day

Defending Monuments as Winning Issue for Campaign; New Tropical Storm in the Atlantic; Epstein's Alleged Accomplice in British Throne Photo; Cape Town's Strategy to Prevent Deaths; Indians Could Change Names. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 06, 2020 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Strategy going on there and, you know, its -- it's -- you never know but it's -- I don't see this working.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the big difference between 1988 and 2020 is that there were no pressing, giant, life and death national issues in that election. I mean it's a glaring difference, compared to 2020, when you have a pandemic, Alexi. And now you have this pandemic, which is affecting states like Texas and Florida and Arizona, maybe places that the president's message might have had an impact before. But I'm just not sure that the audience -- the broader audience beyond his base is receptive to what he's saying.

ALEXI MCCAMMOND, POLITICAL REPORTER, "AXIOS": I mean, one thing we know to be true, the numbers do not lie. If you look at polling time and time again in the last few weeks alone, but even in the last few days, if the presidential election were held today, Joe Biden would win by a ten-point advantage. And that is not, you know, a coincidence given what's happening with the coronavirus. We've seen how President Trump's standing with seniors, especially those 65 and older, has declined significantly since the coronavirus pandemic started. But we've also seen how Americans are sort of revealing that they don't really like these intangible qualities about the president. They don't like personality traits. They feel fearful or angry when they're thinking about the next couple of months, they say, in polling, leading up to the election. And they trust Joe Biden not just to unite the country, but to handle the coronavirus in ways that they're signaling in polling they just don't trust President Trump to do.

And I think all of that is leading to a decreased standing in sort of his re-election campaign and his campaign officials looking at their prospects and thinking, what can we do to hang on to that base group of voters who we know have been with us from the beginning, in spite of the polling showing concerning numbers. And even campaign officials for President Trump admit privately that their internal polling is looking more and more concerning as time goes on.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Joe, as Alexi points out, polls show that Americans, the vast majority, do to the trust President Trump on -- to give them real information about coronavirus. But they were trusting the task force. I mean they were trusting the people around President Trump, though they have been sidelined. And then this weekend, the FDA commissioner refused to say that coronavirus is not harmless. I mean when Dana Bash asked him point-blank, do you -- is this right, you know, what the president said, the coronavirus is harmless, he said something to the effect of, I'm not going to get into who's right and who's wrong.

Isn't that his job?

LOCKHART: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Where does that leave the Americans of who they can trust?

LOCKHART: Yes, it's sort of the antithesis of science, when you're not trying to decide whose right and whose wrong. I mean the -- the task force members are in a very difficult position. They know what they should be doing, but they're -- I think their ability to get things done is -- is way too dependent on the president's mood. So they tiptoe around it.

But they are doing a disservice to the country because, you know, you've got a third of the country who now says they won't take a vaccine for coronavirus because, you know, it's something out of China. It's -- the disinformation out there is, you know, staggering.

But going back to John's point, he's right, in 1998, and in most campaigns, when there isn't a pressing issue, cultural and social issues kind of come to the fore because then people can get into the ideological battle instead of the battle of, do I have a job? Do I have health care? And this is the textbook case in 2020 of national, pressing issues. You know -- you know, Covid, the economy, all of that. So that's why, you know, I just think -- don't -- I think it's the only strategy he has, but it's -- as the polls show, it's not likely to work.

BERMAN: Joe Lockhart, Alexi McCammond, great to see both of you this morning. Thanks so much for getting up for us.

MCCAMMOND: Thank you.

BERMAN: So, this new twist in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Why this photo inside Buckingham Palace is causing so much controversy this morning. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:38]

CAMEROTA: After a two-week lull in hurricane season, a new tropical storm has formed in the Atlantic.

Let's bring in meteorologist Chad Myers.

What are you seeing, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Alisyn, a storm going to its cold death rather soon. Edouard. There's New York City way over there. So this is in the Atlantic, even east of Newfoundland, and it is going to be moving on up towards the north and toward the northeast into much cooler water and going to its demise.

This weather is brought to you by the Tractor Supply Company, providing pet food, animal feed, and all of your gardening supplies.

So let's get right to it.

The next storm system that could be doing something, about a 40 percent chance of that, could be Fay, f-a-y. It's developing in the Gulf of Mexico. Very warm water down there. Nothing surprises you in the Gulf of Mexico this time of year, but it will travel across parts of north Florida, into Georgia, and into South Carolina, with rain. Whether it's on the water and becomes something or stays on land and just becomes a rainmaker, really, it's going to be the inland very, very heavy rainfall. Spots, here, John, across parts of the southeast that don't need rain. We're going to pick up between four and six more inches over the next 72 hours.

BERMAN: I know you'll be watching this very closely, Chad.

MYERS: I will.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BERMAN: So, this morning we've learned that human remains discovered last week have been identified by Army investigators as missing specialist Vanessa Guillen. Her family's attorney says she could not be identified by her medical records because her face had been beaten so badly.

[06:40:03]

The 20-year-old disappeared from the Ft. Hood base in Texas two months ago. Last week, the main suspect died by suicide as officers tried to arrest him. Officials say another suspect is in custody, awaiting charges. Court documents did not give a motive for Guillen's killing. However, her family says she spoke about being sexually harassed.

CAMEROTA: Sad news on a life lost to Covid-19. Broadway star Nick Cordero has died after fighting coronavirus for 90 days. Cordero's public battle had admirers from around the world rallying for his recovery. Cordero's wife, Amanda, regularly updated her social media accounts with her husband's progress. She posted on Instagram on Sunday, God has another angel.

As an actor, Cordero was nominated for his -- Tony for his performance in "Bullets Over Broadway" in 2014. He also made several television show appearances, including on "Blue Bloods" and "Law & Order: SVU." Nick Cordero was just 41 years old.

BERMAN: And a lot of broken hearts on Broadway this morning.

Also this morning, the world has lost one of its great composers.

Honestly, a few of the most iconic measures of movie music you will ever hear. Ennio Morricone was best known for these haunting scores in (INAUDIBLE) westerns, including "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" right here. The Italian composer known by many as the maestro scored more than 500 films in his career. He won his Oscar for his work in Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful 8" in 2015. Morricone died in Rome after suffering complications from a fall last week. He was 91. But he leaves behind such memorable work.

CAMEROTA: He had a long life with which to compose those memories.

BERMAN: Yes.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:29]

CAMEROTA: The British royal family once again embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. A photograph shows Epstein's alleged accomplice posing on a throne at Buckingham Palace alongside actor Kevin Spacey.

CNN's Max Foster is live in London with more.

What is the backstory here, Max?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're trying to figure that out. The problem we've got is that Buckingham Palace aren't discussing this, nor is the private team that Prince Andrew has set up since this whole Epstein scandal erupted here in relation to Prince Andrew.

I think what this photo does, it speaks to a couple of things. If, indeed, Prince Andrew invited Maxwell and Spacey into the throne room, as "The Telegraph" -- "The Daily Telegraph" suggests, they initially got hold of this photo, then it speaks to the very close relationship of Prince Andrew and Maxwell. And that is a problem because it keeps coming up all the time.

It was interesting over the weekend, actually, a friend of Maxwell spoke to the BBC about how Maxwell would never use her relationship with Prince Andrew as part of a plea bargain with the U.S. authority. So this is an ongoing discussion. This photo plays into that.

But it's also, when you consider the throne as a symbol of the monarch's authority, it seems a sign of disrespect to sit in the throne because only the queen has the authority to sit in the throne. It's seen as a sign of disrespect. And if Prince Andrew was part of that, he's disrespecting his mother and the institution that supports him and the entire monarchy, indeed the country.

So embarrassing for people within the palace. But I think probably some anger, as well. We'll see how it plays out, but I don't expect any formal statements on this because it's an incredibly awkward situation. It's about whether state sits in British society and the wider public are pretty horrified by this image. I can say that from the people I've spoken to who have seen it in "The Telegraph" and on CNN Now.

BERMAN: It is remarkable, though I will say where Ghislaine Maxwell she is the least of the issues in the scandal surrounding her or questions surrounding her right now.

Max Foster, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much.

In South Africa, coronavirus case numbers are up across the country and so are deaths. But one of its largest cities is having some success with its treatment model.

CNN's David McKenzie joins us live this morning from Cape Town.

David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, John, there's been so much failure in the fight against Covid-19 across the globe, but here in Cape Town, they think that innovation could save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Friday night in the Cape flats, lockdown is over.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And weekend (ph) specifically, when it opened, (INAUDIBLE) and the gunshots, everything.

MCKENZIE: Paramedic Judith Mitchell just started her shift. This is just her second call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, is it safe to go to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, (INAUDIBLE) staying with you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) closer. I just want to see you.

MCKENZIE: So there's a man lying in there with his weapon still next to him. He's still moving. The ambulance team is very nervous about going into this area. And this is the kind of violence that they have to deal with every night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not worried about Covid anymore. I think I'm more worried about the shooting (INAUDIBLE).

MCKENZIE: Not worried because each day crews know that the Covid-19 patients they drop off at this emergency field hospital have a very good chance of walking out just a few days later.

DE. LEE WALLIS, HEAD OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, WESTERN CAPE: Our death rate is slowing. That isn't really what we've modeled. It's not what we've predicted. We thought that the deaths would continue and actually would be climbing quite dramatically.

MCKENZIE: Western Cape Head of Emergency Medicine Lee Wallis says early models predicted a catastrophe here.

MCKENZIE (on camera): In a way it's lucky that you were later in this pandemic.

WALLIS: Definitely. We -- you know, we've learned huge amounts from China, from Europe, from the U.S.

MCKENZIE (voice over): What they learned, use ventilators as a very last resort.

WALLIS: And the body doesn't do as well, ever, in those conditions. This virus causes a lot of damage to both the lungs and the blood vessels in the lungs. And you really need the body's own system to fight it as much as possible.

MCKENZIE: They started early on high-flow nasal oxygen instead, using gallons and gallons per minute for every patient, keeping them active and alert.

WALLIS: They looked at patients and said, we would, a week ago, have intubated this patient and they were having bad outcomes. We're now using nasal oxygen and they're walking out of the hospital.

[06:50:02]

MCKENZIE: Every patient on oxygen here gets anticoagulants to reduce the risk of blood clots, steroids too, confirmed by the results of a recent Oxford study showing they could save lives in the sickest of patients. The virus is now moving faster than ever here, with days of record increases in confirmed cases. The epicenter is moving quickly to Johannesburg. And doctors say predictions are a dangerous game.

DR. CLAIRE KEENE, MEDICAL COORDINATOR, MSF: We're being faced with so much failure in this whole Covid scenario. I think we've used the time well and we've -- but we were always going to question ourselves, did we use it enough? Did -- did we do enough with the time that we were given during lockdown when the epidemic slowed?

MCKENZIE: But they hope that the lessons they learned treating patients in Cape Town will continue to save lives across the country as the pandemic surges.

MCKENZIE (on camera): What do these empty beds tell us?

WALLIS: I think -- well, this is a hospital of hope. So I think they should give us hope that we can cope with the pandemic.

MCKENZIE: Empty beds is -- is good news.

WALLIS: Empty beds is good news, absolutely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Well, John, that field hospital is right near where I'm standing. They expect their beds to fill up by the end of this month and they really do hope that these innovative techniques will give them that breathing room. As cases surge across this country, it will be a test case here in Cape Town for South Africa and, of course, across the continent.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, so many cities around the world right now trying to innovate to do what they can to fight this pandemic.

David McKenzie, thanks so much for that report.

So, this morning, it's not just Washington's professional football team, another major sports team could be changing its name as calls for racial justice grow louder.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:16]

BERMAN: After 105 years, are the Cleveland Indians going to change their name? Their manager says it's time.

Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

Hey, Andy.

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

You know, we could be seeing some changes across sports. You know, Washington's head football coach, Ron Rivera telling "The Washington Post" over the weekend that it would be awesome if they were able to change their name before the start of this season. And the Indians may be next. You know, like the Redskins, the Indian's name and mascot has been controversial for years. And Indian's manager, Terry Francona, says, you know, it might be time for a change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY FRANCONA, MANAGER, CLEVELAND INDIANS: I know that we're never trying to be disrespectful. And I -- and I still feel that way. But I don't think that's a good enough answer today. I think it's time to move forward.

I'm glad that we're going to be open to listening, because I think that's probably the most important thing right now is being willing to listen, not necessarily just talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And the team had said in a statement Friday they are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward.

Two years ago, the Indians did make a notable change by removing Chief Wahoo as its primary logo.

All right, the coronavirus, meanwhile, continues to hamper teams across the country as they prepare to return to action. The Milwaukee Bucks confirming their facility was shut down yesterday after receiving positive results from a recent round of Covid-19 tests. It will remain shut down until they leave for Orlando on Thursday. And multiple reports also say the Sacramento Kings' facility was shut down, as well. Six teams have now had to shut down their facilities before heading to that NBA bubble in Orlando.

And this comes as four Major League Baseball teams, the Nationals, Cardinals, Pirates, and White Sox reported new Covid-19 cases yesterday. According to multiple reports, Major League Baseball planning to release its regular season schedule later on today, John, there's going to be no bubble in baseball. So the players are going to have to be extra precautions. The Houston Astros great short stop, Carlos Correa, even telling his wife, Daniella, former Miss Texas, she's going to have to take a break from beauty parlors and nail salons for the time being.

CAMEROTA: What?

But, Andy, while I -- please, let's -- let's not go crazy, people.

But, while I have you, have you heard anything about the Kansas City Chiefs changing their names?

SCHOLES: So the Chiefs, as far as I have heard, have not put out a statement about changing their names. The Braves, you know, of course, in baseball, as well, as a team that's always being discussed. You know, they removed the tomahawk chop as one -- something they do traditionally in Atlanta at Braves games. Last year during the post season they said they would continue to review that. But as far as an official statement, I don't think we've heard anything yet from the Chiefs.

BERMAN: Look, I thought it was really interesting listening to Terry Francona. I'm a big fan of Francona's for years. Obviously managed the Red Sox. I have no idea what his politics are, but listening to his reason, he just wanted to sit back and say, you know what, it's time to listen at this point. It was really interesting to hear.

Andy Scholes, great to have you on this morning.

SCHOLES: All right.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Health experts are warning the July 4th holiday weekend could trigger even more spikes in coronavirus cases.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could see why health officials are certainly concerned when they see these kinds of pictures.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hospitals in states like Arizona and Texas are filling up and could soon be overwhelmed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we don't get our hands around this virus

quickly, in about two weeks, our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump claiming that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are totally harmless. That claim not only evidence free, but defying reality. And so I'm not going to get into whose right and whose wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Multiple epicenters and there are going to be more in two to three weeks. No doubt about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:00:03]

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

BERMAN: All right, welcome to our viewers in the United States.

END