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1,388 Americans Died Of COVID Yesterday, Nearly One A Minute; Lebanese Authorities Declare Beirut A 'Disaster City' After Explosion; Former Delta Force Officer, Ambassador Sign Syrian Oil Field Deal. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 06, 2020 - 05:30   ET

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


[05:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No question in mind it will go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Only one of those things can be true. And this morning, new warnings for cities across the country as more than 1,000 people died from coronavirus in a single day, again.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And it's being called a floating bomb allowed to sit in Beirut for years despite warnings. New details about the blast that's changed Lebanon for the foreseeable future.

ROMANS: Good morning, everyone. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Hi, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Hi, Christine. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Laura Jarrett. We are half past the hour.

ROMANS: All right.

Nearly one American per minute died of coronavirus yesterday. One thousand three hundred eighty-eight families lost a loved one. Deaths were up in 15 states. At least 1,000 deaths per day has been a painful new normal for the past two weeks.

Now, the U.S. has far outpaced other big country's death rates. And, Dr. Anthony Fauci says without everyone's cooperation, the human toll will just keep rising.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: As long as you have any member of society -- any demographic group who is not seriously trying to get to the endgame of suppressing this, it will continue to smolder and smolder and smolder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And now, the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force outlining new concerns. Dr. Deborah Birx warning nine U.S. cities about increasing positivity rates. Many of these cities have big African-American populations and they've been hit hard by the pandemic.

Also a concern, California's Central Valley. Just south of the Valley, in Los Angeles, the mayor has okayed shutting off water and power to residences like this one -- businesses, too -- that host large parties.

The rate of positive tests is still rising in 33 states. Dr. Fauci, who says his family is getting threats, is keeping his message simple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: I mean, the numbers don't lie and every country has suffered. We, the United States, has suffered as worse or -- you know, as much or worse than anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The numbers don't lie.

But what is the president saying? Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Absolutely, it's no question in my mind it will go away -- please, go ahead -- frankly, sooner rather than later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Remarks like that doing little to dispel what one source on the task force told CNN. Put simply, he still doesn't get it.

He doesn't get the pain of Michelle Gutierez, a Texas woman who prays every night below her husband David's hospital window as he is fighting coronavirus, or the family of Keith and Gwendolyn Robinson. They were best friends married for 35 years who died of COVID-19 just 11 days apart.

But empathy or even a coordinated national response to the pandemic remain in short supply. Across the country, young people are still driving the spread. Also driving it, people who do get tested but then have to wait week or more for results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: It's unacceptable, period. The gap between the time you get the test --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

FAUCI: -- and the time you get the result, in some respects, only obviates the reason why you did the test.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: There is some good news in the national picture. The U.S. new case map has not shown this little red in a while. Only three states recording a rise in cases week-over-week. The seven-day moving average of new cases has not been this low since July 10th.

But, of course, looks can be deceiving. This drop has been driven in large part by steep declines in Florida, where Hurricane Isaias shut down dozens of testing sites.

ROMANS: (Audio gap) Mississippi school district after several people tested positive. Four states have now seen cases since reopening schools.

One of them is North Carolina. It will keep bars, gyms, and indoor entertainment venues closed for another five weeks because of the start of school even though the president keeps downplaying kids becoming sick and keeps calling for schools to reopen.

SANCHEZ: As the smoke clears in Beirut, the scale of destruction from this week's huge explosion is coming into focus. At least 137 people are dead, many more are missing, and 5,000 are injured. Authorities in Lebanon are declaring the city a disaster and imposing a state of emergency with at least 300,000 people displaced.

I want you to look at these satellite images of the Beirut port -- specifically, that middle portion there. This is a week ago. Now, it is a hollow shell -- a crater 405 feet in diameter.

And we are seeing incredible video of the moment this explosion happened -- watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Bride posing for wedding photos when explosion occurs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Wow, unbelievable. That's a bride taking wedding photos; one of many people stopped in their tracks by the blast. Everyone at that shoot there is OK.

[05:35:05]

The Lebanese government admitting that roughly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate -- that's, of course, a volatile agriculture fertilizer -- had been left in a warehouse near the port for six years despite warnings it was a quote "floating bomb."

Arwa Damon is live on the ground in Beirut this morning. And, Arwa, I mean, the people of Beirut must be so angry that this was allowed to happen.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're angry, they are sad, they're shocked, they're traumatized. They really can't believe that this actually happened.

And keep in mind, this is a population that is, tragically, too familiar with the realities of war. They've lived through a civil war, they've lived through multiple massive bombings in Beirut when the targeted assassinations were taking place -- Israeli airstrikes, running gun battles.

But this -- everyone says this was different. And for those who managed to survive this, especially those who were in close proximity to the port area, they feel as if that was it. It was doomsday that had actually arrived.

And then to realize that they were OK, injured, and see the level of destruction that took place from something that may very likely have been prevented -- I mean, that -- it's almost as if it's too much for them to be able to mentally wrap their minds around the sheer level of gross negligence.

Because consecutive governments were warned about this from the head of customs, saying that this kind of a substance in the -- in this quantity should not be stored in these kinds of conditions. That it should not be stored this close to a heavily-populated area.

The head of the Port of Beirut also saying that yes, there were warnings that had been issued that he felt had not been fully aware of the dangers that this posed.

And there's still an investigation ongoing at this stage as to what caused that initial explosion -- the fire that led to the conditions that then allowed the ammonium nitrate to explode in such a horrifically spectacular fashion. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is this should never have been allowed to happen.

Now, this came to be in the Beirut port because it was on a shipment of a Russian-owned ship that ended up stranded in the port in Beirut because of issues that arose among the crew. It was originally intended to be heading towards Mozambique.

But at the end of the day, six years, the government did not take care of this. And for so many here it's just another indication of just how the country's political elites really don't have the well-being of this country's population at the center of their decision-making process.

ROMANS: Pandemic and a financial crisis, and now this. Our hearts go out to the people of Lebanon.

Thank you so much for that. Arwa Damon for us this morning.

SANCHEZ: Meantime, President Trump is only adding to the confusion about the cause of the explosion. So far, all indications point to what Arwa was talking about -- negligence and an avoidable accident. Defense Sec. Mark Esper agrees with that assessment.

But the president called it an attack on Tuesday and then followed it up with this, yesterday. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They don't really know what it is. Nobody knows yet. At this moment, they're looking -- it could -- I mean, how can you say accident?

Somebody was, you know, left some terrible explosive-type devices and things around, perhaps. Perhaps it was that. Perhaps it was an attack. I don't think anybody can say right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Lebanon's prime minister, expressing condolences and pledging U.S. assistance.

ROMANS: Help and support for Beirut from around the world.

Overnight, the Eiffel Tower went dark to honor the victims. France is sending military planes, a mobile clinic, and other aid to Lebanon.

Tel Aviv went up its municipal building with the Lebanese flag.

And, Israel offered its help, and that's no small gesture. Israel considers Lebanon an enemy state but officials in Israel say humanity comes first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HODA MELKI, BEIRUT RESIDENT: Playing "Auld Lang Syne" on piano.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Amid the chaos and rubble, this moment of peace. A 79-year- old grandmother played "Auld Lang Syne" in her Beirut home. The piano -- the piano looks like it's one of the few things left unscathed there.

All right, back in the U.S.

Yes, your grocery bill is more expensive. New data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows meat and poultry prices rose nearly 11 percent from February to June. Beef and veal saw the highest increase, spiking 20 percent. For pork, it was 8 1/2 percent.

People are also paying more for staples like eggs, and cereals, and fresh vegetables. Egg prices soared 10 percent during that same period.

[05:40:02]

Now, demand to grocery stores has surged as millions of people stay home and avoid eating out. And while there's no significant food shortage, supply chain disruptions have created some scarcities and have been driving up prices.

Major meat processors have slowed operations to accommodate new COVID safety practices. That's tightened supply.

And also here, nearly 30 million people said they did not have enough to eat at some point in the week before July 21st. That's the highest number since the census started tracking that data for us in early May.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

A lot of different states trying to figure out how to respond to the crisis created by the coronavirus. Now one state is launching an app, Christine, to try and contain COVID-19. Also, don't plan on booking a cruise anytime soon. CNN has the pandemic covered across the country. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Todd in Washington.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has just announced that Virginia has launched a COVID notification app, the first of its kind in the country, he says.

Using Bluetooth technology, the app can notify you if you've been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. But it can only notify you of that if you've been exposed to someone who has tested positive and someone who has entered that information into the app. So this app really has the potential to help only a limited number of people.

Still, the governor says he believes the app is a good additional tool to fight the virus in Virginia.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brynn Gingras.

Rhode Island is stepping up measures to combat COVID-19. The state now mandated travelers coming into the state from 33 designated hot-zone states must sign a certificate to verifying a negative result on a COVID test or they must quarantine for 14 days. The National Guard is actually going to be enlisted to help enforce this.

Some other measures the state's taking, the governor says that bars can remain doing business. However, now they must close by 11:00 p.m. And social gatherings must be limited to just 15 people.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Pete Muntean in Washington.

Mega cruises with thousands of people onboard will now be suspended until October. That, according to the industry group that represents cruise lines like Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. It says it made this announcement for the health and safety of passengers and crew.

This comes as a smaller cruise in Alaska had to turn around when a passenger received a delayed and positive COVID test, requiring everybody onboard to quarantine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Thanks to all of our reporters for those updates.

Vice President Mike Pence launching a very rare and very public attack on the conservative-leaning Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives, whether it be the Obamacare decision or whether it be a spate of recent decisions.

We remember the issue back in 2016, which I believe loomed large in voters' decisions between Hillary Clinton and the man who would become President of the United States. And some people thought that it wouldn't be as big an issue these days, but I think that's all changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Pence made the remarks to the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Chief Justice Roberts has been criticized by conservatives recently for his rulings on Obamacare, Dreamers, abortion, and other high- profile Supreme Court cases.

Stay with EARLY START. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:47:45]

ROMANS: "The New York Times" reports prosecutors in New York subpoenaed President Trump's primary bank lender as part of an investigation into his business practices. Four people familiar with the probe tell the "Times" Deutsche Bank complied and provided documents.

On Monday, prosecutors asked a federal judge to dismiss the president's lawsuit challenging a subpoena for his financial records. The Supreme Court ruled last month the president does not have broad immunity from a state grand jury subpoena.

Some significant new reporting from our national security team this morning. CNN's Kylie Atwood and Ryan Browne have learned a former Army Delta Force officer and a one-time U.S. ambassador have signed a secretive contract to develop oil fields in northeast Syria. It is the first-ever deal for an American firm to develop and modernize those fields in territory under the control of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Sources tell CNN the contract is expected to produce billions of dollars for Kurdish authorities and none of that money will be shared with the Assad regime in Damascus.

SANCHEZ: Now, the State Department and the Pentagon officially publicly distancing themselves from the project, but sources tell CNN that behind the scenes the State Department was active in making the deal happen.

The deal strengthens the U.S. alliance with the Kurds -- key allies in that region less than a year after President Trump pulled U.S. troops from Syria, except for a small force, to secure that country's oil reserves.

The move, undoubtedly, will aggravate tensions with Russia. Sources tell CNN the Kremlin was also competing for that contract.

ROMANS: All right, 1.9 million homes and businesses along the east coast still without power this morning thank to -- thanks to Tropical Storm Isaias. Most of the outages are in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with others scattered from Virginia to New Hampshire.

The death toll from the storm now is up to eight, including 5-year-old Eliza Talal, a child with autism who wandered away during the storm. Her body was found near a creek by her Pennsylvania home.

SANCHEZ: Just heartbreaking.

In Minneapolis, a proposal to disband the police department is off the November ballot. Members of the Charter Commission said the City Council's proposed amendment was flawed, the process had been rushed, and they need more time to review the amendment.

Meantime, Minnesota's governor says businesses rebuilding from civil unrest are eligible for federal support. Nearly 1,500 Twin Cities businesses were damaged by looting and vandalism after George Floyd's death. Damage is estimated at $500 million.

[05:50:10]

ROMANS: In Iowa, some former felons will have their voting rights back. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed an executive order reinstating those rights for Iowans who have served their felony sentences. It doesn't apply to people convicted of murder or manslaughter.

Black Lives Matter activists are pushing for an amendment to the Iowa Constitution to make that change permanent.

SANCHEZ: You may not know Jake Paul's name but your teenagers probably do, and so do the Feds. FBI agents executing a federal search warrant at the California home of the YouTube celebrity. The Bureau says the search is part of an ongoing investigation, not releasing many details.

Scottsdale police have dismissed local charges against Paul stemming from looting at an Arizona mall so the federal investigation can be completed. Paul denies any wrongdoing. ROMANS: All right.

It's tough being a working mom during a pandemic. Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee while nursing her infant daughter.

Afterward, Slaughter tweeted "The reality for working parents is that our parenting responsibilities don't organize themselves around our work schedules, especially during the pandemic."

SANCHEZ: A Texas dad leaping into action after a 12-foot, 600-pound alligator started moving toward his young kids. They were playing by their home in a Houston suburb. Andrew Grande says he wasn't sure what the gator's intentions were but he was not going to wait to find out.

Finally, an alligator hunter was able to capture it. The animal now living at a gator sanctuary and Grande says he will probably take his kids to go visit it.

ROMANS: Oh, wow.

All right. The longest-running entertainment news show on television has been canceled because of the pandemic. "E! NEWS" premiered in 1991. The network's parent company, NBCUniversal, also canceling "POP OF THE MORNING" and "IN THE ROOM" to cut costs. NBCUniversal says it's looking to streamline programming and restructure to create more efficiencies.

SANCHEZ: Back in the pre-COVID days, if you won the lottery, a real person would hand you a huge, usually, check. But in Canada, not anymore. Now, a robot named SARA, designed by college students, did the honors, presenting the winner with $6 million, although humans in attendance wore masks and maintained physical distance.

ROMANS: All right, let's take a look at Wall Street on this Thursday morning. First, a look at markets around the world here if we can pull up the world global screen. There it is. You can see Asian shares closed mixed and Europe has opened lower.

On Wall Street, looking at futures this morning, we've got a big jobs report this morning. It's not the monthly report but it is that weekly jobless claims reports. So you've got a mixed performance waiting for that in about three hours.

Stocks finished higher on Wednesday. The Dow closed up 373 points. The Nasdaq hit an all-time high, the third-straight record this week.

Look, stocks are soaring while millions of Americans are struggling. Another 1.4 million workers are expected to have filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week.

Wednesday's private payroll report from ADP showed only 167,000 new private-sector jobs created in July. That was a big disappointment. That's nearly 10 times lower than economists had expected. It signals there could be a new stall here in the jobs market. Next year's tax season could be complicated for people working at home during the pandemic. Some states tax income earned there even if the person primarily lives and works in a different state. In some places, workers could owe taxes after just one day of work; others taxed after a 30-day stay.

Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have said they won't tax workers who have relocated temporarily, due to the pandemic.

Instagram has launched a near-carbon copy of TikTok called Reels. Like TikTok, Reels allows Instagram users to create 15-second videos set to music and features special effects.

President Trump has threatened to ban TikTok if a U.S. acquisition doesn't include money going to the U.S. Treasury -- an unusual finder's fee arrangement.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is urging American companies to remove untrusted Chinese-owned technology from app stores.

Boris, remember yesterday, you said booze and ice cream were a great way to start the day? I've got something for you.

SANCHEZ: All right.

ROMANS: Kraft hopes you feel the same way about its classic mac and cheese. Kraft is adding the word "breakfast" to its iconic blue box and hopes the label could take some shame associated with parents serving their kids easy-to-make, non-breakfast foods in the morning.

Kraft says 56 percent of parents have served their kids mac and cheese for breakfast more often during these coronavirus virus lockdowns.

I don't know. I haven't fed my kid mac and cheese for breakfast yet, but it's -- I'm getting a little desperate, I have to admit.

SANCHEZ: You know, I don't know how I feel about it. I might add it to the repertoire of boozy ice cream, fish fillet sandwiches, and pig's feet. I love starting my day that way.

ROMANS: Oh, that is so gross.

All right, thanks -- we're learning way more about you, Boris. Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

SANCHEZ: Thanks for having me, Christine. I'm Boris Sanchez --

[05:55:00]

ROMANS: As always.

SANCHEZ: -- in for Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.

ROMANS: Pig's feet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Absolutely -- no question in my mind it will go away, frankly, sooner rather than later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daily death counts still rising.

FAUCI: The numbers don't lie. The United States has suffered as much or worse than anyone.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Members of Congress don't sound like they'll be voting on a coronavirus relief bill anytime soon.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The speaker and the Democratic leader continue to insist that federal unemployment assistance should pay people more not to work.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We cannot agree to an inadequate bill and then go home while the virus continues to spread.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Thursday, August sixth, 6:00 here in New York.

END