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Florida Reports over 10,000 Deaths; Doctors Refuse to Transport Putin Critic; Two Potential Hurricanes to Make Landfall; Bannon out on Bail; Quarterback Diagnosed with Heart Condition after Coronavirus. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 21, 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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[06:32:07]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The United States reporting another day of more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. Florida reporting more than 10,000 total deaths. But that state is showing some signs of progress. Cases and hospitalizations are going down, but the positivity rate remains high.

Joining us now is Dr. Aileen Marty, she's an infectious disease professor at Florida International University.

Dr. Marty, great to see you.

Dr. Redfield, the director of the CDC, said that he believes that next week we are going to see the death rate throughout the country start dropping and that two weeks from now it will be significant.

Do you agree with that optimistic assessment?

DR. AILEEN MARTY, INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROFESSOR, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Well, Alisyn, I certainly hope that that would -- that that will be true. It's all based -- you know, that's a lagging indicator. So it really depends on what's happening a few weeks before in terms of the death rate.

What's happening here in Miami, for example, is we are getting better. We have fewer people in the hospital right now with Covid-19, but we do have two new cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children as of yesterday and some of our patients who have gone home are coming back into the hospital because of the recurrence of symptoms that can be severe.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Another thing that Dr. Redfield said is he's beginning to wonder, and he says federal scientists are beginning to wonder, if there's some level of immunity that is helping to ward off cases, in addition to the mitigation. He's talking specifically about the northeast. One of the reasons he says the rates may be so low in the northeast because cases were so bad here before.

What do you think of that? MARTY: Well, there's so many different variables that it's hard to

know exactly what is leading to the different shifts. And there has been a shift in behavior, as well. I do think that there is a buildup of immunity, but we're nowhere near what would be considered herd immunity for this infection yet. And, of course, we are now looking at Labor Day just a couple of -- not too far into the future and that could pose problems two weeks after that.

CAMEROTA: Dr. Marty, one of the things that you say that you're seeing is that Covid patients who got better, or who went to the hospital, improved, were sent home, are now coming back. What's that about?

MARTY: So, many of the patients have what we call lingering symptoms. Often it's fatigue or shortness of breath, headaches sometimes. Sometimes waking up at night with fevers, again, and some of them are sick enough, some of the patients that we had sent home are sick enough that they're coming back into the hospital and their degree of illness is such that we're having to readmit them.

[06:35:00]

This is -- this is a -- a very, very potent virus in a lot of individuals. And so that's what's going on.

BERMAN: We just put it up on the screen, this is a new study that's out of England, 74 percent of survivors struggle with symptoms for months. That's debilitating, including breathlessness, excessive fatigue, poor quality of life and struggle with daily tasks. So that's something I imagine, Dr. Marty, you have to keep in mind when there are those who diminish the notion that this is severe.

MARTY: Well, yes, John, and those are the more common problems. There are also less common problems that are long-term. Let's not forget that this illness can also cause these little microthrombodies (ph), little clotting all over the place and that that's led people to lose their limbs, it's led to strokes, it's lead to heart problems, led to other lung problems. And recuperation from this is challenging.

BERMAN: Dr. Aileen Marty, always a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks so much for being with us and thanks for the work you're doing in Florida.

MARTY: Thank you, John. Bye.

BERMAN: Developing overnight, former Secretary of State James Baker and his wife, Susan, have now both tested positive for coronavirus. They are recovering in isolation at their home in Houston. A spokesperson says the 90-year-old former diplomat is, quote, feeling crumby, but neither of them look like they will need to be hospitalized at this point. Obviously, given their age, we wish them the very best.

All right, coming up, a double threat. Two potential hurricanes expected to make simultaneous landfall on the Gulf Coast. We have the forecast track and the timing. You're going to want to see this, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:31]

BERMAN: All right, we have breaking news.

Russian doctors are refusing to let opposition leader Alexei Navalny leave the country for treatment after he was allegedly poisoned. Navalny is hospitalized and in a coma. A spokesperson says the ban on transporting him is a direct threat to his life.

CNN's Matthew Chance live in Moscow with more.

Obviously, there are so many political and medical implications here, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And the reason that doctors have given for not allowing Alexei Navalny to be medevaced on to a plane that's been waiting for him on the runway in the Siberian city of Omsk is because they say he's still unstable. He's simply not well enough, they say, to be moved at this stage.

Having said that, they've also say, you know, look, we've tested him for various toxins. We haven't found any poison inside him. And at the moment, the doctors are saying, we don't believe Alexei Navalny was poisoned. But listen to those screams of agony that were caught by a fellow passenger onboard that aircraft on Thursday when it made an emergency landing in Omsk after Alexei Navalny, Russia's most outspoken Kremlin critic, remember, was taken severely and acutely ill. Clearly, he's in a very distressed and painful situation.

What the Navalny team, those around him, his supporters, his lawyers, his family are saying is that they believe, still, that he has been poisoned. They also say that they believe the hospital authorities in Omsk are not telling the entire truth. They say that there's a toxin that's been found. Police, they say, have told them this. A toxin has been found. But the hospital authorities are simply waiting for traces of that substance to sort of leave the body of Alexei Navalny so that when he is transferred to a foreign clinic, possibly that one in Germany, they won't be able to find any evidence of it.

It's a theory, it's not supported by evidence, but it's what the Navalny team are saying at the moment, John.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I'll take it, Matthew. I mean the idea that the hospital is not on the side of the patient is -- sounds particularly diabolical, but we know that you'll keep us posted on what's happening there.

Thank you very much for the report.

Also developing this morning, not one but two tropical systems are forecast to become hurricanes and make landfall along the Gulf Coast in the coming days.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking it for us.

This would be frightening for two of them to hit at the same time.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and the first time in probably about 60 years that you'd have two storms, at least at tropical storm strength or stronger, to be in the Gulf simultaneously.

So let's start from the beginning. Let's see where they are now to understand where they're going to go.

You've got Tropical Storm -- Tropical Depression 13 and Tropical Depression 14. Both of these are likely to become tropical storms, likely in the next 24 hours. The next two names on the list are Laura and Marco. But which gets which name depends entirely on which one can intensify faster.

Here's a look at 13. This is where we believe this particular track is expected to go, making its way towards Puerto Tico, Turks and Caicos, into the areas of the Bahamas and northern Cuba before potentially crossing over areas like Miami or the Florida Keys as we get the day Monday.

Now we switch gears to Tropical Depression 14. This is the one that is likely going to go over the Yucatan Peninsula over the weekend before finally making it out over open water in the Gulf. At that point, that's when we anticipate this one specifically to start to intensify, perhaps into a category one hurricane.

But, again, if you were listening to me when I was talking about the timing, notice that these two are really going to enter the Gulf at just about the same time. The question then becomes, where do they go from there? It is entirely possible you could have one of them make a landfall around somewhere in Florida late on the day Monday, while also keeping an eye on the separate system headed towards Texas or Louisiana on Tuesday. Then the original storm, perhaps making a second landfall somewhere else in the Gulf again on Wednesday.

So, again, there's a lot of factors at here -- at play here. But, again, this could be one of those where we have to watch things Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, all for potential landfalls.

CAMEROTA: OK, Allison Chinchar, thanks for keeping an eye on it for us.

So, President Trump trying to distance himself from Steve Bannon after his former chief strategist was charged with defrauding donors.

[06:45:01]

We have new details, next.

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JOHN So, overnight, President Trump's former strategist and campaign adviser, Steve Bannon, leaving a federal courthouse after posting bail and pleading not guilty. There he is, without the mask. Charges that he allegedly defrauded donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a private effort to build a border wall called "We Build the Wall."

Now, Bannon is the tenth -- tenth associate of President Trump who has now been charged with a crime.

Joining us now, CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

The Trump campaign, the Trump administration, a boon for lawyers across America. I think we're going to get to the extraordinary notion that so many people connected to the president have been charged with crime in a second, Jeffrey.

But, first, Steve Bannon, in particular, this crime, what is he charged with doing and how likely is a conviction?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: It's a pretty straightforward case. Bannon was involved, and his people, with -- with this charity and they repeatedly made the case to their donors, we are not taking a dime, a penny, of any of the money you contribute.

[06:50:03]

The charges say, and there are apparently e-mails and texts to back this up, that the four conspirators secretly agreed that they would put a substantial amount of that money, hundreds of thousands of dollars, in their own pockets. And, apparently, there are financial records to back that up.

In federal court, 90 plus percent, even more than that, 95 percent of people who are indicted either are convicted or plead guilty.

So, I mean, Steve Bannon is just in a world of trouble.

CAMEROTA: Here's another bit of evidence, they raised $25 million, Jeffrey, and they built less than five miles of wall, which is actually, also, crumbling or not considered structurally sound.

TOOBIN: Right. I mean, you know, this whole operation shows every sign of being a scam, top to bottom.

And the other thing that's so interesting about the case is that it shows these four sort of Republican leaders treating the actual Trump supporters, the people who are, you know, who are -- the president's base as a bunch of suckers and dupes and marks. And -- and the contempt with which they apparently treated the actual people who support President Trump is -- is kind of -- is one of the more shocking elements of this crime, if it's a crime (ph).

BERMAN: I think you're exactly right. I think it's extraordinary. They're using the passion created by President Trump to raise money for themselves, to bilk, allegedly, the very people who are his base. You know, Donald Trump Jr. appeared at a fundraiser, appeared at an effort for this group, although he says it was just one time and he never supported it. Go figure that.

And you were saying, what, Alisyn. CAMEROTA: Well, there's a panoply of Fox News hosts that touted it. I mean over and over again. We have a little bit of a montage, but it went much further than this, so just watch a few moments of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We Build the Wall and founded by an Air Force veteran, broke ground last month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now here to tell us why he did this, what he hopes to achieve, is Brian himself.

All right, Brian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joining me now, Brian Kolfage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing on the private money raising for a wall?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing -- we're doing incredibly great. And it's -- it's all American citizens who are donating to this project.

If people want to donate to that wall and give their money, they can do it. I mean what's $80 from 60 million people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, there you go, Jeffrey. I mean they're on --

TOOBIN: I mean how great is that?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

TOOBIN: I mean what -- what a -- like the cynicism is -- is so astonishing, top to bottom here. And, by the way, they raised $25 million, you know, which is not a trivial sum of money. They didn't steal it all, but $25 million from these loyal Trump supporters.

BERMAN: It makes you wonder about the culture surrounding President Trump, that Bannon is now the tenth charged with a crime who was close to the president, including so many of the like senior campaign staff and senior White House staff, too. And I want to note, that video we just played was from Media Matters. That was something that they -- they collected right there.

CAMEROTA: Oh, yes, thank you very much. That was from Media Matters. They put that montage together.

BERMAN: All right.

CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, thank you.

BERMAN: Thanks very much, Jeffrey.

A freshman quarterback for Georgia State opts out of the season because of a heart condition linked to coronavirus. We have details in the "Bleacher Report," next.

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[06:57:33]

CAMEROTA: A college football quarterback announcing he will not play this season. He was diagnosed with a heart condition following coronavirus.

Andy Scholes has more in the "Bleacher Report."

Hi, Andy.

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

You know, one of the reasons the Big Ten and Pac-12 said they would not be playing football this fall is all of the unknowns still surrounding Covid-19. And the heart condition, myocarditis, which can develop after having the infection, I mean it's a real concern for these young athletes. Georgia State freshman quarterback, Mikele Colasurdo, in a post on Twitter, announcing he would not be playing in the upcoming season due to a heart condition that developed after having Covid-19 in the off-season. Now, Colasurdo didn't specify, you know, which condition he had. He said, ultimately, it was the procedures and tests set forth by Georgia State that allowed the doctors to find the condition and keep him safe. Colasurdo added he's looking forward to playing in the 2021 season.

All right, and baseball, two members of the New York Mets organization have tested positive for Covid-19, enforcing last night's game against the Marlins and tonight's matchup against the Yankees to be postponed. The Mets now the tenth team with a coronavirus postponement. Luckily, Alisyn, the Mets had already played 26 games. But on the other hand, the Cardinals, they've only played 14 games this season. A lot of catching up to do from them as the virus continues to just wreak havoc on Major League Baseball's schedule.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely.

Andy, thank you very much.

And NEW DAY continues right now.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I give you my word. I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I'll be an ally of the light, not the darkness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole convention was leading up to the point, he has made promises and he will carry those out.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): Let's now work together. And America, together, we will rise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to maintain these mitigation efforts if we want to keep controlling this virus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're used to doing things like partying, drinking, and to ask them not to do that is to ask too much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There really needs to be a significant curtailment of their social activities because they're just not getting it, quite honestly.

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

CAMEROTA: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

[06:59:56]

And Joe Biden accepting the Democratic nomination for president with a big speech that you could say was three decades in the making, Biden promising to unify the country after the division he says President Trump has stoked.

END