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CDC Director Predicts U.S. Deaths will Begin Dropping Next Week; At Least 4 Killed As Wildfires Rage in California; Postmaster General to Testify Before Senate Today. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired August 21, 2020 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: How much will that affect the hospitalization and death rates in the future. So, is it a roller-coaster or is this going to stay coming down?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we've seen it go down before. We've seen it go down before and then the numbers rise --

GUPTA: Sure --

BERMAN: Again, to be sure, and it was a premature victory lap. I mean, Mike Pence wrote an op-ed about it --

GUPTA: Yes --

BERMAN: On June 16th, which now looks incredibly tone deaf, given that 50,000 Americans have died since then. They're talking about the schools reopening and the impact that might have, Sanjay. And there was a new study overnight, which has a connection to this. Which is that the viral load that children carry is higher? Explain this.

GUPTA: Yes, so, this is -- this is really important. I hope we can make this point clearly, because there's been a lot of studies out there and the general, you know, thinking, the narrative has been for some time, look, kids don't have to worry about them.

You know, they're not going to get sick from this, they're not going to spread this virus. I think the first part of that statement is holding up to be true. They're not as likely to get sick from this virus, although they can. And some of these illnesses can be quite severe, this multi-inflammatory system, you know, illness can be quite severe, but it is rare.

But the idea that they can still spread viruses, there's two points to make here, based on this study. One is that, you know, we know from other respiratory viruses, kids spread. I mean, look, I have had kids in the house, you all have had kids in the house, if one kid gets sick, it's likely the entire house is going to be infected by this.

There's no reason to believe coronavirus is different than that. The second point is, this is what the study came out that basically said, when they started looking at kids in urgent care, they were finding that they were carrying a lot of the virus in their nose, even if they had minimal symptoms.

And then when they were tested, in fact, they found that a significant percentage of them were spreading to either other kids or to household contacts. I think part of the reason there's been confusion on this, is there hasn't been a lot of studies prior to this on little kids because the kids have been home mostly over the Summer. So they haven't had a lot of contacts.

So I think people looked at the studies and said, well, kids aren't spreading. Well, take that a step further, why aren't they spreading? They carry the virus, we know that they can spread the virus, other viruses. The reason they weren't spreading is because they've largely been at home. Now that they're getting out and about, things are starting to change.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Sanjay, tell us about Dr. Fauci. We understand that he recently had surgery. What was it for? How's he doing?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, he's been dealing with this vocal cord polyp for some time, and we can show you image of what that is. It's generally -- it's a benign sort of polyp that develops on the vocal cord, usually in response to overuse. You know, and the guy has been talking a lot, as you know, over the last several months.

I can tell you, back in December, sort of pre-COVID here in the United States, he had a flu, H1N1 flu, kind of knocked him down for a while. He says it was at that point that he started having some troubles with his voice. And then right away, you know, there's been six, seven months where he's just been basically talking nonstop.

He's been dealing with this polyp. You've probably heard the raspiness in his voice over time. He had to get this dealt with. So, yesterday, he did. He had general anesthesia. They went in and removed the polyp, said everything went fine. He actually texted me as soon as he was out of the operating room.

This guy is amazing. I mean, he's almost 80 years old, and he bounces back just like that. But, we probably won't be hearing much from him for a while, because one of the pieces of advice is don't talk for a bit of time or at least talk only in small snippets. So he'll be out there, he's doing well, but we may not hear his voice for a little bit of time.

BERMAN: Well, I hope he still lets us know how he sees things going because that voice, even if --

GUPTA: Yes --

BERMAN: Not spoken, is so important in this discussion, Sanjay. Please send him our best, since you seem to be in constant communication --

GUPTA: He's probably watching -- BERMAN: With him.

CAMEROTA: I mean, and until he can speak --

GUPTA: Yes --

CAMEROTA: I would say Brad Pitt could do the job.

BERMAN: You're not going to let this go, ever.

CAMEROTA: Not enough ever --

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: You really --

CAMEROTA: The fact that -- the fact that Dr. Fauci wants me to let it go --

BERMAN: Yes, oh, yes --

CAMEROTA: I'm not -- that's not -- even that's not stopping me.

BERMAN: I admire that.

GUPTA: Brad Pitt nailed even the voice --

CAMEROTA: I know --

GUPTA: Including the voice, he nailed --

CAMEROTA: So, he's going to have to change it up now, but I mean, I guess he's a good-enough actor for that. Sanjay --

GUPTA: Right --

CAMEROTA: Thank you, thank you very much for that update.

GUPTA: You got it.

CAMEROTA: All right, developing overnight, at least four people have been killed in California as the state battles these nearly two dozen wildfires. Hundreds of structures have also been destroyed, thousands more are under threat at this hour, more than 600,000 acres have now been scorched as the state's firefighting capacity, of course, is being stretched so thin. So Governor Gavin Newsom calls the extreme weather that the state is facing, quote, "clear evidence of climate change."

There's also new developments in the controversy at the U.S. Postal Service. What a new e-mail from the agency's top leadership reveals is ahead, and today is -- the Postmaster General is going to be testifying. All of that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:35:00]

BERMAN: This morning, we're waiting to hear from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. He testifies on Capitol Hill shortly over a series of controversial changes at the U.S. Postal Service. Now, this comes as CNN has obtained a new e-mail calling into question his claims to pause changes until after the election. CNN's Kristen Holmes live in Washington with the breaking details on this. Kristen, what have you learned?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, expect a lot of questions over these changes. Why were they implemented in the first place? Why exactly were they sent out before the election? What kind of impact are they going to have on the election? We have to remember that this is the first time that the Postmaster General is publicly answering questions about these changes that some critics have said could have dire consequences on the November election.

[07:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: President Trump's Postmaster General in the hot seat.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a fantastic man. He wants to -- he wants to make the Post Office great again.

HOLMES: Louis DeJoy testifying in the Republican-led Senate today, on changes made to the Postal Service that critics say could threaten the November election. Postal workers have been sounding alarms over delayed delivery times and the removal of high-speed letter sorters, that could affect mail-in voting as well as prescription drug deliveries and other important mail.

JAMES MAYO, PHILADELPHIA RESIDENT: They're not delivering, they're not collecting, so it's a problem. Medicines aren't being delivered, bills aren't going out in the mail.

HOLMES: DeJoy didn't need Senate confirmation, and this will be his first time testifying to Congress. DeJoy and the Postal Service scrambling to clean up, holding emergency meetings and consulting an outside public relations firm, according to a source familiar with the process. Tuesday, an embattled DeJoy announcing he was suspending the controversial changes until after the election, in order to quote, "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail." But some say the damage has already been done.

MARK HERRING, VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's not enough just to stop the continued disruption of the Postal Service, but we need to see the damage that's already been done corrected.

HOLMES: An internal e-mail sent hours after DeJoy's announcement and obtained by CNN shows a Postal Service Director of Operations telling managers not to reconnect, reinstall machines that have been previously disconnected without approval from headquarters. But with millions of Americans expected to vote through the mail this year due to the pandemic, the changes paired with Trump's angry rhetoric on mail-in voting fueling allegations that the Trump administration is trying to use the Postal Service for political gain.

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD): To access prescription drugs, paychecks and other essential items for their lives. To politicize and sabotage the Postal Service in order to suppress votes is dangerous. It is, however, probably what the president of the United States wants to do.

HOLMES: The hearing comes just a day after a former Postal Service board member briefed Democrats about what he says is interference in the Postal Service.

DAVID WILLIAMS, FORMER USPS BOARD OF GOVERNORS VICE CHAIRMAN: I recently resigned as the vice chairman of the Postal Board of Governors when it became clear to me that the administration was politicizing the Postal Service.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: So what exactly are we expecting today? Well, we do expect this to be a little bit friendlier than in Monday's hearing, which will be in front of the Democratic-led house, but there might be some room for contention. Keep in mind, Kamala Harris, who was on this committee, who is known for her tough questioning, she's actually not going to be grilling DeJoy, she's sending in questions in writing. So, that will take some of the edge off there.

And one thing to watch, Alisyn, is how exactly DeJoy is going to respond. Remember, this is actually his introduction to the American public and his behavior may impact or color how the situation is viewed. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Very interesting updates, Kristen, because people were wondering if Kamala Harris was going to play a role or which role she would be playing. So that answers that. Thank you very much. So, joining us now is Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, she's the chair of the House Oversight Committee which is set to question the Postmaster General on Monday. Congresswoman, great to see you. What's your big question for Mr. DeJoy?

REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D-NY): Well, first of all, he shouldn't have become the Postmaster General in the first place. Usually, the Postmaster General is nonpartisan and comes through the postal ranks. So, his one qualification is that he's a mega donor to President Trump. His wife is under consideration to be the ambassador to Canada.

And he -- I am putting in legislation to require that the Postmaster General in the future be a non-partisan position. But I want to know why he made these changes in the first place. I sent him earlier a ten-page letter, he was supposed to respond by this Friday, I have not seen his response yet on getting documentation on the decision that he made, what was the benefit of this to the American people.

It just seemed to be an effort to slow down the mail and sabotage the mail-in ballots for the -- for the presidential election. I would like to know how he's going to correct it. I will thank him for stopping the actions to dismantle the Post Office. But I would like to see how he's going to make it whole again. CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALOENY: How is he going to make it work again? I'm hearing from my post offices, they're five to six days late. That's unacceptable. They have dismantled equipment, removed it in some cases, but in some cases they still leave it there. They are picking up postal boxes across this country. He says he's stopping that, we want them put back.

CAMEROTA: Yes --

[07:45:00]

MALONEY: We want to restore -- we want -- and we need the funding, the $25 billion that the Postmaster -- that many people, including the Board of Governors that were appointed by President Trump have said that the Post Office needs $25 billion just to make themselves whole --

CAMEROTA: Right --

MALONEY: After the coronavirus and its impact on their deliveries.

CAMEROTA: You know, in terms of the dismantling of those sorting machines, the high-speed sorting machines, I don't understand what the rationale is. We have these photographs from local news all around the country. I mean, this is from New Jersey to Michigan to Portland, Oregon.

These have been taken out of service and they're sitting, languishing in parking lots. Do you -- have you gotten any explanation for why at this moment in time, they would dismantle high-speed sorting machines?

MALONEY: That is the question. Why in the middle of the worst pandemic possibly in the history of our country, why before an incredibly important election that will set the direction of our country for the next four years. Why at this time does he come in and take steps that just dismantle the effectiveness of the Post Office? We want them restored. That is part of the questioning and the documentation, put it up on their website, it's online for the American people to see. We want answers and all of these areas that he has taken to slow --

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: Down the mail.

CAMEROTA: All --

MALONEY: We want to reverse that, that's what my legislation does.

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: We are voting on Saturday on delivering for America. Legislation that I put in a long time ago --

CAMEROTA: OK -- MALONEY: That requires them to restore it the way it used to be and

will fund it for the $25 billion.

CAMEROTA: On a related issue, your own congressional race took six weeks to have a winner declared. I think that the primary was on June 23rd, you were finally declared the winner on August 4th. Isn't this the very thing that President Trump is talking about with the confusion that mail-in ballots can lend themselves to. Isn't this -- doesn't -- isn't that sort of exhibit "A" of what President Trump says he's trying to avoid with mail-in ballots?

MALONEY: Well, I would say that the president should stop attacking me and just focus on funding the Post Office. He originally said he was opposed to funding the Post Office, and that was used by DeJoy to say why he had to cut all of these things.

So personally, I think he should focus on helping the country by funding the Post Office and supporting it. Certainly, more people voted in my election and the election in New York than ever before because of coronavirus.

Although many voted on election day and with early voting that we now have, many more voted by absentee ballot. It is a wake-up call. Everyone should get their ballots in, at least, two weeks in advance, to give the Post Office ample time to process them correctly.

We know we're going to have a huge additional ballots coming in.

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: That's why we need the high-speed processing, that's why we need the overtime. That's why we need the boxes, the mail boxes there and other aspects of the Post Office to help them get their job done, not make it harder for them to deliver the medicines, the mail --

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: The packages, and all the other important items that they are doing.

CAMEROTA: Understood.

MALONEY: We need to work together --

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: To support the Post Office and support this election --

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: With every effort we have, with the necessary --

CAMEROTA: Yes --

MALONEY: Funding and manpower it needs.

CAMEROTA: Well, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, we'll be watching on Monday, I mean, as well as today --

MALONEY: Thank you --

CAMEROTA: When DeJoy is on Capitol Hill. Thank you very much. And coming up --

MALONEY: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Thank you, we're going to speak live with Vice President Mike Pence about the pandemic, and of course, the upcoming RNC and so much more, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:00]

CAMEROTA: Developing in Belarus, the opposition leader speaking out overnight in a new video recorded from exile, she urges supporters to continue to expand the strikes aimed at forcing a new presidential election. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is live in the capital of Minsk with more. What's the latest, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Alisyn. All this comes of course, as the opposition continues its action. You can see behind me that the opposition protesters are out once again here in the streets of Minsk, Belarus. You will hear some of that honking that of course is very much part of the protests here.

You're absolutely right, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya coming out in her first ever press conference today, saying that she's going to continue to fight, saying she's not sure when she's going to be able to return to Belarus because obviously the situation for her is fairly dangerous right now, and then also calling on people to continue their strike.

They're saying there's going to be another big protest here in the capital of Minsk on Sunday. At the same time though, you have Alexander Lukashenko also continuing his crack-down. He for the first time today directly blamed the United States for allegedly being behind the uprising here in Belarus, saying that the U.S. was somehow trying to separate Belarus from Russia, and that Russia was afraid of this happening. That the European Union was complicit in all of this.

Of course, all this as the U.S. and the Trump administration so far have been playing virtually no role in any of the diplomacy at all. Lukashenko also declaring essentially the opposition illegal and we do see a lot more riot police here on the streets as they try to crack down. But as you can see, the folks here still coming out and still very much continuing their protests, hoping to make sure there's change here in this country fairly soon, guys.

BERMAN: All right, Frederik Pleitgen for us in Minsk. Ed -- Fred, I should say, please keep us posted there. We're so lucky to have you there.

[07:55:00] In Texas, one woman endures a nightmare possibility of losing nearly

all her closest family members to coronavirus. And on top of everything, she also lost her job. CNN's Ed Lavandera has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mama, give him a kiss.

VEARLINE ROUGELY, COVID-19 SURVIVOR: Oh, I told -- I don't. Honey --

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Vearline Rougely celebrated her 80th birthday with her husband Raymond in March, their family could not sense the storm sweeping into their isolated world behind the piney wood curtain of east Texas. They lived near Carthage, a place that calls itself the best small town in Texas. If the coronavirus could find them way out here, it can find anyone, and that's what happened in mid April.

SHENNA ROUGELY, FAMILY AFFECTED BY COVID-19: I was in a state of shock.

LAVANDERA: The Rougely's daughter, Shenna says the virus inflicted vicious pain on her parents and sister. She learned they were all infected on the same day.

S. ROUGELY: I was just thinking what am I going to do if I lose my mom, my dad and my sister all at the same time. I just -- I prayed and I said, God, please, do not do this. It was the worst day of my entire life.

LAVANDERA: Eighty four-year-old Raymond and Vearline ended up in the same hospital fighting for their lives. Vearline was put on a ventilator, Sheena could only talk to her father in nurse-assisted video chats.

S. ROUGELY: Dad, I need you to hang in there, OK? Dad, I love you, OK?

RAYMOND ROUGELY, SURVIVED COVID-19: I'm doing good, so --

S. ROUGELY: I don't want you to give up, OK, I know you're thinking about giving up, and I know you're tired, but dad --

LAVANDERA: But the virus was too much.

S. ROUGELY: And I don't want you to cry or anything like that. But guess what? I'm going to see you soon.

LAVANDERA: Raymond Rougely died just a month after getting sick. This was one of the last conversations Shenna had with her father.

S. ROUGELY: All right? I love you, dad, I love you so much. I'm so thankful you're my dad. I thank you for everything, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, but Shenna, don't cry, honey and a more -- it's OK. LAVANDERA: In the midst of all this, Shenna was also laid off from

the airline job she had had for 18 years.

S. ROUGELY: I didn't want to lose my family, you know, my sister got better. I said, God, whatever you do, please I can't handle losing both of my parents.

LAVANDERA: Her sister was starting to recover, but Vearline was struggling, then in mid June, after some 60 days on a ventilator, Vearline emerged alive, shocking her family and their doctor.

S. ROUGELY: He looked at me dead in my eyes, and he said 80-year-old people do not survive this. And he looked at my mom in awe. The doctor said she kicked COVID's bootie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you all doing?

LAVANDERA (on camera): I've never met wonder woman before, I'm very excited to do this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tell you, a few months ago, I didn't feel like a wonder woman.

LAVANDERA: Oh, you absolutely are. But you spent some 60 days on a ventilator fighting for your life and here you are.

V. ROUGELY: I didn't know it. I didn't know that. I didn't know I was in the world. I didn't know nothing until I could start coming around and come to -- come to myself, you know?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): At the end of July, Vearline returned home. Friends and family organized a welcome home car parade, the next day, her children broke the news that Raymond Rougely wasn't coming home.

(on camera): I imagine you miss your husband quite a bit.

V. ROUGELY: Oh, Lord, yes, do I? I just wish I saw his picture when he -- you know, when he took his last breath. And I just wish I had been there to just to whisper in his ear and hold his hand.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Vearline Rougely says the COVID pandemic struck her family like a tornado falling from the sky. They weathered the storm, but they'll never be the same.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And John, you know, that line "I didn't know I was in the world", it was a line that stuck with us, and now Vearline Rougely says that one of her goals is to get back to playing guitar with her church. And she wants to live another 20 years. John?

BERMAN: Don't bet against her, Ed, that's what I would say. You say you never met wonder woman before --

LAVANDERA: Absolutely not -- BERMAN: You had the opportunity to interview wonder woman. That --

what a wonderful story that was, it's so nice to hear something like that. I appreciate it. Right, so Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the White House coronavirus taskforce joins us in just minutes, NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Great honor and humility. I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America. Our current president's failed. He's failed to protect us. That is unforgivable. Light is more powerful than dark. This is our moment. This is our mission. History will be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're going to start to see the climb in mortality for next week.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thousands of K through 12 students across the country have been asked to quarantine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to make sure these schools are safe tonight. We don't think they're safe and ready, they won't be open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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