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Model Warns U.S. Could See 2K Daily Deaths by December; U.S. Postmaster General Denies He's Trying to Rig Election; What to Expect from Republican Convention; Alexei Navalny Taken to Germany for Treatment; European Countries Report Spike in COVID-19 Cases; Two Tropical Storms Threaten U.S. Gulf Coast; Trump's Hold on Iowa May Be in Jeopardy; Actor Lori Loughlin Sentenced to Prison. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired August 22, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A new warning that the coronavirus death toll could explode yet again in the United States because some aren't getting the point, that large crowds without masks are not a good mix. We'll get into that this hour.
Also --
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democrats held the darkest and angriest and gloomiest convention in American history.
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ALLEN: Not-so-sleepy Joe has President Trump repainting his DNC picture, while railing against mail-in voting and suggesting the election will be rigged or drag on forever.
Also, this hour, a Kremlin critic believed to have been poisoned flown out of Russia. German doctors now trying to save his life and figure out what made him so sick. I'll talk with a Russian security expert about that.
Hello, everyone, we're live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Natalie Allen and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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ALLEN: And thank you for joining us.
The coronavirus pandemic keeps pushing case numbers and deaths higher in the United States, along with warnings that the death toll could nearly double by December if the U.S. doesn't shape up.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 175,000 people have now died out of more than 5.6 million infected. One influential model predicts it could get much worse: 310,000 deaths by December.
That's at least 1,000 Americans dead every day for the next three months. The model also warns that number could rise to a staggering 2,000 per day or more once December begins.
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DR. CHRISTOPHER MURRAY, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION: We have a worse scenario in what we release and that's many, many more deaths.
And in fact, by the time December rolls around, if we don't do anything at all, the daily death toll in the U.S. would be much higher than the sort of 2,000 deaths a day we would expect by December. It could be as high as 6,000 deaths a day. So it really depends on what we do, both as individuals and what governments do.
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ALLEN: But Dr. Chris Murray there and other health experts say that number could fall by 70,000 if people wore masks and adhered to social distancing guidelines. Researchers warn that super spreader events are driving the pandemic. This recent motorcycle rally in South Dakota has been linked to more than 2 dozen COVID cases.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What we're hearing is that there's already been at least 26 people who have been confirmed to have been infected in three different states, including South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska. Again, it's just give days since the rally ended. You well know that it can take a long time to get tested, to get test results back. So they expect these numbers to go up.
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ALLEN: Coronavirus outbreaks have followed the school year. Nearly 1,400 cases have been reported on college campuses in at least 19 states. And a warning from the World Health Organization here:
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DR. MICHAEL RYAN, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: It took three waves for the disease to infect most of the susceptible individuals and then settle down probably into a seasonal pattern. But this virus is not displaying a similar wave-like pattern.
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ALLEN: Our Nick Watt has more on the latest, plus a look at how the pandemic is affecting some individual U.S. states.
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NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, more COVID- 19 deaths logged in Arkansas than ever before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not back to normal. We have more work to be done.
WATT (voice-over): On average, more than 1,000 Americans have died every day for about a month now.
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Hopefully this week and next week, you'll start seeing the death rate really start to drop.
WATT (voice-over): His optimism is based upon the nationwide new infection rate dropping at the moment. But:
DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think we're going to see in the fall another spike. I just don't see it not happening, given the burden of disease that's circulating in the community today.
WATT (voice-over): There's a whiff already.
REDFIELD: Middle America right now is getting stuck. We don't need to have a third wave in the heartlands.
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WATT (voice-over): Case counts climbing in Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota; now looking a little sunnier in the South. The rate of new cases now falling in Texas. Even so, today in Dallas:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the medical professionals were unanimous in their recommendation that there should be no in-person learning on September the 8th.
WATT (voice-over): Of the 101 largest districts in the nation, 64 now reopening online only, despite pressure from the president and some of his acolytes, who are not medical professionals.
July 8th, the president tweeted this, "In Germany, schools are open with no problems."
That day, 356 new cases in Germany; yesterday, more than four times that.
New York crushed the curve, still nervous about schools.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): They're still working out what the plan would be. I would have a lot of questions. Parents do have a lot of questions. This is a risky proposition no matter how you do it.
WATT (voice-over): Kicking up to college level, cases now confirmed on campuses in at least 19 states, some reverting to remote learning. Gatherings like this proving a problem.
Penn State's president asking the question, "Do you want to be the person responsible for sending everyone home?"
WATT: In New York state, Syracuse University has just imposed an interim suspension on 23 students after a gathering in a quad there.
And in Purdue, Indiana, they have suspended 36 after an off-campus party. At Purdue, they plan to test every week all staff on campus and have random tests of students throughout the semester -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
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ALLEN: Now we turn to the race for the White House. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is looking to build on momentum coming off of his party's national convention this week.
He and running mate Kamala Harris are highlighting what sets them apart from President Trump. The two gave their joint interview on Friday. Biden says he would handle the coronavirus pandemic more effectively and says no measure is off the table.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be prepared to shut this country down again?
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus.
That is the fundamental flaw of this administration's thinking to begin with. In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed, you have to fix the virus. You have to deal with the virus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if the scientists say shut it down?
BIDEN: I would shut it down. I would listen to the scientists.
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ALLEN: Mail-in voting is another contentious issue, with the White House threatening to veto a proposed bill that would provide funding to the Postal Service. It's likely to come up at next week's Republican National Convention.
President Trump is already giving a preview of how he plans to counter Joe Biden's messaging. Our Jim Acosta has more about it from the White House.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eager to get back on the attack, the president took aim at the theme running through Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic convention that the trump administration has been a time of darkness.
TRUMP: They spent four straight days attacking America as racist and a horrible country that must be redeemed.
And yet look at what we have accomplished until the plague came in. Look at what we have accomplished and now we're doing it again.
Where Joe Biden sees American darkness, I see American greatness.
ACOSTA (voice-over): It was a carefully scripted rebuttal to a Biden speech that surprised even some Trump allies as nowhere near sleepy.
BIDEN: This is our moment. This is our mission. May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight, as love and hope and light join in the battle for the soul of the nation.
ACOSTA (voice-over): And yet in front of a crowd of conservative activists, many not wearing masks, the president warned a Biden administration would lead to the same unrest on the streets that happened on Mr. Trump's watch.
TRUMP: I'm the only thing standing between the American dream and total anarchy, madness and chaos and that's what it is.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The president reprised his attacks on mail-in voting, predicting they will lead to chaos on election night.
TRUMP: And they all think I'm trying to steal an election. Just the opposite. I want the fair results of an election.
ACOSTA (voice-over): At a Senate hearing on mail slowdowns, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump ally, denied he's trying to rig the election for the president after recent revelations that processing machines have been removed at postal facilities across the country.
SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): Will you be bringing back any mail sorting machines that have been removed since you have become postmaster general?
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PETERS: Will any of those come back?
LOUIS DEJOY, U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL: There's no intention to do that. They're not needed, sir.
ACOSTA (voice-over): DeJoy conceded he and Mr. Trump recently met, but insisted their conversation was not about the election.
PETERS: Did you discuss those changes or their potential impact on the November election with the president or anyone at the White House? And remind you, you're under oath.
DEJOY: I have never spoken to the president about the Postal Service, other than to congratulate me when I accepted the position.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The president has yet to provide any evidence
there will be fraud on election night and yet he's vowing to send police officers to polling stations. TRUMP: We're going to have sheriffs and we're going to have law enforcement and we're going to have hopefully U.S. attorneys and we're going to have everybody and attorney generals.
ACOSTA (voice-over): On the pro-Trump QAnon movement:
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Will you dismiss it?
Will you dismiss it?
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just did, John.
BERMAN: No, you didn't.
PENCE: We dismiss conspiracy theories out of hand.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Vice President Mike Pence tried to dance around questions about the baseless conspiracy theory.
PENCE: I don't know anything about that conspiracy theory. I don't know anything about QAnon and I dismiss it out of hand.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The president is doing some dodging of his own, insisting that he hasn't been speaking to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who has been charged with defrauding donors to a private wall project on the border.
But sources tell CNN Mr. Trump and Bannon have spoken in recent weeks, despite what the president has said.
TRUMP: I haven't been dealing with him for a long period of time, as most of the people in this room know. I haven't been dealing with him at all.
ACOSTA: Over the weekend, the president will be gearing up for his convention next week. Aides are calling the theme to the convention a, quote, "return to American greatness," a title that suggests the president is still in damage control mode as the nation is still reeling from the pandemic -- Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
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ALLEN: Natasha Lindstaedt joins me now to talk about the convention season here in the U.S.
Good morning, Natasha.
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Good morning.
ALLEN: To listen to Biden and then to listen to Mr. Trump, it almost sounds like the United States is on two different planets. The Democrats painted a dark future if Trump is elected. We heard the same from Trump if Biden is elected.
What do you expect from him with the convention this coming week?
Will the president continue to paint a dark future under a Biden presidency?
LINDSTAEDT: I think that's what Trump is going to do. I think the main theme of the Republican convention, if Biden is elected, because Biden is, according to Trump, a puppet of the Democratic progressive wing of the party, that all of our cities and all of our suburbs are going to be completely taken over by unrest and chaos.
He is painting a picture that the world will be in an unstable place if Biden is elected. And I think the convention is going to look very different from the Democratic convention, which though it did talk about something I've never heard a convention talk about, which is the threat of Democratic backflight (ph), that a candidate, the incumbent is actually leading the country down to democratic decay.
The Democrats also focused on optimism and on unity. We saw how in the way they were reaching out to median voters and moderates and independents, I don't think we will see that in the Republican convention.
I think it will be playing to Trump's base. It won't be trying to reach out to independents. It won't be about a message of unity.
I think one of the best examples of that is the fact they are including this couple that had brandished weapons on protesters. I think that really is a good representation of what the convention is going to be about.
But I think one of the biggest differences is also going to be that the Democratic convention, equally showcased Harris, other Democratic Party members and Biden. I think we see that the Republican convention will be all about Trump. The party of Trump can be very personalistic. And Trump will feature heavily in every single day.
ALLEN: If he is only sticking to appealing to his base, will that hurt him in the November election?
Won't he need bigger numbers beyond his base?
LINDSTAEDT: I think the strategy of the Trump team is to really motivate the base and just ensure that all of them vote. At the same time, trying to engage in voter suppression, trying to ensure that whoever would support the Democratic Party does not vote.
And part of that is by trying to undermine the Postal Service and to make it harder to vote by mail. (INAUDIBLE). I know that hearings are going on, where the postmaster general assured everyone that the mail is going to get delivered.
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LINDSTAEDT: But this is the first time in my lifetime that (INAUDIBLE) it's an issue. And it's become more critical than ever, not just because people expect checks and expecting prescriptions to come through the mail (INAUDIBLE).
ALLEN: Natasha, thank you so much. We started to lose your audio there. We really appreciate you joining us. Natasha Lindstaedt for us.
Tune in for live coverage of the Republican convention Tuesday at 7:00 in the morning in Hong Kong and 12:00 am in London and here in primetime in the United States. We'll have full coverage and analysis also on cnn.com.
Coming up, Iowa helped Donald Trump win the presidency in 2016.
But are voters there having second thoughts about the upcoming election?
We'll talk with them.
Plus, a frequent foe of Vladimir Putin is going to get medical treatment in Germany after falling into a coma. We'll tell you how Alexei Navalny's supporters got him out of Russia.
Was he poisoned?
We'll talk with an expert on Russian security coming up.
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ALLEN (voice-over): Live video from Berlin, Germany; a medical flight carrying gravely ill Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has landed in Berlin. Navalny is being transferred to a hospital in the German capital, where he will receive medical treatment.
Russian doctors finally approved the transfer after wrangling with German doctors. Navalny suddenly became ill Thursday on a flight to Moscow. He is in a coma. And those closest to him believe he was poisoned, although the Russian doctors dispute this.
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ALLEN: In amateur video from the flight where he fell ill, you can hear him groaning in pain, as medics evacuate him. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, where Navalny was taken to a nearby hospital.
Joining us from London to talk about the story is a Russia expert and author Mark Galeotti. He's a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
Thanks so much for coming on. First up, Navalny will now receive medical care in Germany.
From what we know, the alleged allegation of poisoning, what is your reaction?
MARK GALEOTTI, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: It seems very likely that it was poisoning. The official line from the hospital in Omsk was constantly being contradicted by the next. So it's a question of not so much was he poisoned but who by.
ALLEN: That's a question that will be investigated.
How important is Navalny?
To those opposed to Vladimir Putin, he is a vocal critic. He has millions of followers online. He was in Siberia when he fell ill.
How important is he to the anti-Putin movement?
GALEOTTI: He is very important. He's both a symbol and an organizer. He's a symbol that even in this regime it's still possible to organize even if you never get to stand as president because he was blocked from that. Nonetheless he is a constant figure but also very important as an organizer.
He is trying to create a national party without calling it a party, bringing together a whole variety of different forces that are critical of Putin. That is probably one of the things that makes him the most scary for the Kremlin.
ALLEN: Talk about Russia's history here, the Kremlin, its alleged killing of dissident dissidents. Journalists have been shot, others have been poisoned. And the risks that people like Navalny take to speak out.
GALEOTTI: Exactly. This is a regime that does not kill indiscriminately, it's not Stalinist Russia. It's North Korea. But absolutely, when Russia feels it has to kill, it has no qualms of doing that.
Until now, Navalny was very shrewd in knowing exactly how far he could go. He faced arrest many times and there was a previous suspected poisoning. But nevertheless, he had that sense.
What this implies is maybe the line of the permissible has shifted. The regime is worried about what it has seen with people in Belarus, increased protests in the Russian-Siberian-Far Eastern Regions.
And it could be that what Navalny was doing, made him a little bit too uncomfortable. At the same time, it's entirely possible that it was one of Navalny's other enemies, one of the people whose corrupt schemes he had exposed that decided to go against him, assuming that the Kremlin would back them up.
Unfortunately, this is a regime in which it's not just the state that kills, it's a whole variety of powerful figures connected to the state. ALLEN: You mentioned it, the other things that are going on right now.
Let's talk about the timing. The protests have erupted in the far east corner of Russia, as you said, over Vladimir Putin's continued rule over Russia.
People are in the streets of Belarus, a former Soviet republic, protesting what they say is a sham presidential election.
Will this alleged act against Navalny quell the unrest or, perhaps, embolden it?
GALEOTTI: It's unlikely to quell the unrest. In Belarus people weren't protesting because of Navalny; they were protesting the underlying nature of the situation.
Navalny himself, often when he was asked, how come you're alive, would say because I'm more dangerous to the Kremlin dead than alive. Obviously, we hope that Navalny pulls through. If he doesn't, he may become a powerful symbol as a martyr.
If he does recover, will his will be redoubled or diminished by this close brush with death?
One thing that is crucial, this is Navalny's movement, that now, there's a whole new generation of younger protest leaders, who will take over if need be.
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GALEOTTI: So we shouldn't think that even if Navalny's taken out of the picture, the protest movement disappears.
ALLEN: Absolutely. We haven't confirmed that he is actually in Germany. We presume so. But talk with us about Germany's involvement here.
And what about other world leaders and countries?
What has been their response to these alleged acts reportedly by the Kremlin?
GALEOTTI: The thing is, an attack against a Russian citizen inside Russia is harder for outside countries to get involved with. We now have a call for an outside investigation. And clearly, the hospital in Berlin will be looking at blood samples to see if it was proven.
Cynics say the doctors delayed him going to Germany was to give time for that poison to dissipate in his system. While Navalny is in Omsk, international pressure was quite muted in a way because Navalny was a hostage.
If the outside world push too hard, the danger is it makes Putin dig in his heels all the more. Now that Navalny is out, in a way it gives us more freedom to talk directly.
The key thing is this -- is there going to be evidence of poison? If the doctors can find evidence of poison in Navalny's system, that creates a whole new reason for international pressure. So that will be the crucial issue at the moment.
ALLEN: We have confirmed just now that he is in Germany. In fact, we have an update on his condition. Apparently he is in stable condition. The Germans say they have accomplished their mission. So it looks like things are looking up for him.
What do you expect if he recovers?
And how challenging will this be for him, pro-alleged poisoning here?
GALEOTTI: Navalny has actually proven to be quite indomitable. He almost lost an eye when he was attacked with an antiseptic dye. He has been arrested 13 times, sent to prison, saw his brother being sent to prison. It's very unlikely that, when he survives, as it seems likely, he will decide to disappear and go and write his memoirs somewhere.
He will almost certainly return to the fray. Of course, this represents quite a distinct escalation. And I think the movement will now have to accept it's operating in a more hostile environment.
In some ways, the Putin regime, though it may last for years, is already feeling like it's a dying state. As such, it becomes more dangerous, not less. It becomes more and more scared about opposition.
So I think what we're going to be seeing is the Navalny movement moving into an more aggressive phase but having to be more careful about physical security, not just about Navalny but other brave Russians that protest.
ALLEN: You've offered great insights into this story. We appreciate it, Mark Galeotti from London, thank you so much.
GALEOTTI: Pleasure.
ALLEN: Belarus' main opposition leader says she will not seek the presidency again even if the country holds an election. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania after the disputed August 9th vote. She is calling for more workers to strike in protest.
Demonstrators filled sidewalks in the capital of Minsk Friday and some held hands to form a human chain. More protests are expected over the weekend. Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko is accusing the United States of directing the protests.
Europe thought it had beaten back the coronavirus weeks ago. But new infections are now increasing in Spain, France and other European nations. Next here, how the countries are responding in a live report.
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ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We appreciate it.
Weeks after strict lockdown measures were lifted across Europe, coronavirus cases are surging in numerous countries yet again.
On Saturday, Germany had its highest number of daily infections since the end of April, more than 2,000. Infections had been climbing in Germany since late July.
Spain reported 8,000 cases in 24 hours on Friday, one of the highest daily increases since restrictions ended.
And French health officials warn Friday that the spread of the virus is accelerating there. Daily cases passed 4,000 for the second consecutive day.
Let's go to London with Milena Veselinovic.
You have to wonder, they took such strict measures. And things were looking good. Suddenly, it's all different.
MILENA VESELINOVIC, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, Natalie. The World Health Organization says cases have been rising steadily since the country started reopening their societies.
The situation seems to be most concerning at the moment in Spain, where health authorities say the virus is out of control in several parts of the country. And in the capital, Madrid, local government has asked people in the most affected parts of the city to stay at home.
Now Spain has the highest rate of the infection out of the entire European continent, according to the European Center for Disease Control. But other countries are hitting very high numbers.
Poland had the highest daily cases since the pandemic began. And France, Italy and Germany are hitting surges since the peak of the pandemic in April.
Here in Britain, where I am, the R number, that measures how many people in average, one infected person passes the virus on to, is between 0.9 and 1.1. This means in parts of the country, the outbreak is actually growing.
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VESELINOVIC: Authorities are concerned about Britain's second largest city, Birmingham, which is teetering on the edge of a local lockdown because of the high number of infections.
The World Health Organization says this entire increase of cases is because people have dropped their guard. They're more relaxed and the restrictions have started to peel off in the last few weeks. As colder weather comes to the European continent in the next few
weeks and months, experts are worried what is going to happen when people are indoors rather than outdoors.
ALLEN: Two steps back and one forward in the near future. Milena Veselinovic, thank you so much.
A lockdown and a new nightly curfew are now in effect in Lebanon, one of the nation's latest efforts to stop coronavirus from spreading there. From 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, all but essential businesses have been ordered to close.
On Friday, officials reported 628 new cases. That's the country's highest single-day number of infections since the pandemic began. The number of cases in Lebanon has more than doubled since the chemical explosion on August 4th that killed at least 180 people and wounded 6,000.
Now we turn to China. Meantime, intelligence agencies are saying that officials in Wuhan kept senior officials in Beijing in the dark for weeks about the coronavirus outbreak. That's where this pandemic began.
The report says Chinese Communist Party officials later sought to cover up their knowledge of COVID-19 from the rest of the world. President Trump has repeatedly blamed China for the pandemic and accusing Beijing of intentionally allowing the virus to spread.
Beijing residents, though, will no longer be required to wear masks when they go outdoors. The government is lifting the mandate after just 22 cases were reported across all of China Friday. Just 22. And no new cases in Beijing.
CNN correspondent Selena Wang joins me from Hong Kong with more about it.
Good morning. That looks good in the number of cases we're seeing.
Is that behind this decision on masks?
SELENA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Natalie, great to be with you. This is a clear signal the Beijing government is confident they can keep new cases at zero. In June Beijing was grappling with a new outbreak linked to a wholesale market, rolling out testing measures, testing millions in a matter of days, as well as instituting a partial lockdown.
Now new government regulations say that people no longer have to wear masks outdoors, as long as they aren't coming into close contact with other people. But many people continue to wear their masks. Some say it makes them feel safer. Others say they don't know if it's socially acceptable to go mask-free.
Listen to what this resident had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think I can take off my mask anytime. But I will need to see if others accept it because I am afraid that people will be scared if they see me not wearing a mask. But usually, when I'm running, I'm not wearing one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WANG: After months of enforcement, it can take time for people to adjust to the new behavior. But even in pre-COVID times, wearing a mask was common, especially on days with a lot of pollution.
ALLEN: I stand with the young woman there. Even if they lift masks in the United States, which is likely a long way off, I'm going to wear one for a while. Selena Wang for us in Hong Kong, thank you very much. See you again soon.
In California, scorching temperatures and dire predictions the worse may be yet to come, as firefighters battle more than 500 wildfires. Derek Van Dam will talk about it coming up next.
Also, looking at two potential powerful storms on track toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. You can see them right there. We'll get the latest coming up.
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ALLEN (voice-over): : Terrifying and tragic images continue to come from California, like this one right here. Firefighters short on resources, battling hundreds of wildfires yet again across the state. Lightning strikes started most of them. And a heat wave is fueling them.
More than 560 wildfires have scorched nearly 1 million acres with the worst fires around the San Francisco Bay area. At least four people have been killed. California's governor is pleading for federal help and help from other states. He says all of California's firefighting resources are already in the battle and it is not nearly enough.
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ALLEN: Meantime, much of the Gulf Coast is keeping a wary eye on two powerful tropical storms. Laura is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and is tracking towards New Orleans. And Marco became a tropical storm Friday evening. He could threaten Houston, Texas, next week.
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ALLEN: Many places in Iowa are still without power, more than 10 days after a powerful windstorm called a derecho blasted through the Midwest. The system roared through with hurricane force winds; as you see, damaging thousands of structures, homes, schools and businesses, as well.
There's more than 11,000 electrical outages in Lynn, the state's second largest county. And more than 1,200 customers are without power in three other countries (sic).
We're thinking of all of you. It's got to be hard to be without power that long.
Earlier this week, President Trump visited Iowa, which he won by almost 10 points in 2016.
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TRUMP: We've come through for you. We always will come through for Iowa.
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ALLEN: But as Ryan Young reports, not all Iowans are feeling the love for Trump this time around.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, the ear is on the part of the stalk that's dead.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A massive windstorm's destruction still seen all over Steve Swaka's cornfield nearly two weeks after it swept across Iowa with 100-mile-an-hour winds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just kept going. And you know, 45 minutes into it and it's still blowing. and we're seeing the trees and the limbs and of course the power's off.
YOUNG (voice-over): In Cedar Rapids, one of the hardest hit cities, more than 800 buildings suffered some sort of partial collapse. More than 20 school buildings damaged.
NIKKI WIMS, BARTENDER: It was like the whole storm that was 70 miles across was a tornado. And I've never seen anything like it.
YOUNG (voice-over): Nikki Wims works at a Cedar Rapids bar.
WIMS: We just rebuilt from the flood of '08. And now, we're going to be doing it all over again, with no support.
YOUNG (voice-over): President Trump visited Iowa Tuesday, one day after signing a major disaster declaration. But the $45 million in aid only covers a portion of the almost $4 billion that Republican governor Kim Reynolds requested. But the president also approved additional funding for the Cedar Rapids area Thursday, according to Governor Reynolds' office, not nearly enough, says Whims (ph).
WIMS: He came by, what, for a picture, for a photo op at the Cedar Rapids airport?
No. I want to see boots on the ground, like, you know, people -- he needed to see this.
YOUNG (voice-over): Other Iowans in the bar are pleased with the president's support. Brian Reeves says Trump can count on his vote.
BRIAN REEVES, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I really think he means well. I mean, there's some things I wish he would, you know, some of his tweets and stuff like that, you know?
He's not a politician. I mean, he never was. And he's always admitted that he's never been a politician. So I think, deep inside, I think he's doing what he thinks he needs to do to help.
YOUNG (voice-over): A Monmouth University poll taken one week before the storm, showed Trump leading Biden 48 percent to 45 percent within the margin of error. Losing Iowa's six electoral votes may not cost Trump the election but voter sentiment in the red-leaning state may signal trouble for Trump in other key states on Election Night.
YOUNG: There's this conversation that Iowa may be a swing state.
Do you buy that or -- ?
[04:50:00]
WIMS: Absolutely. Absolutely, yes. This is -- I mean, I talk -- I work in a bar. I talk to people of all walks of life, all different political and religious backgrounds. And I've heard people, Republicans even, saying, I had a guy on the patio just yesterday say, listen, Nikki, I have always voted Republican. This will be the first time that I don't.
YOUNG (voice-over): Back on Steve Swaka's (ph) farm, the fourth generation farmer says he's still on the fence about who he will vote for as he waits to see how the federal and state assistance will help farmers pick up the pieces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, now.
I guess that I have to believe that our elected officials will get their heads together and get us some help in some way.
YOUNG: In 2008 and 2012, President Obama was able to win Iowa. But in 2016, President Trump was able to flip 31 counties. A lot of those counties are in the damaged area. I can tell you, farmers have been having a very tough year. They are hoping for more assistance, especially with everything that's been going on -- Ryan Young, CNN, Chicago. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: On another front involving Iowa, the University of Iowa is cancelling four sports programs due to the financial impact of our pandemic. Officials announced they will be shutting down men's gymnastics and tennis as well as both men's and women's swim and diving programs.
The school projects $100 million in lost revenues due to the postponement of football. Students on scholarships in those sports will be able to keep them until they graduate or transfer.
We all will miss our sports this fall.
Actress Lori Loughlin said she was acting out of love for her daughters. Next, how her cheating scheme has now landed her with a prison sentence.
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ALLEN: A new development in the U.S. college admission scandal. TV star Lori Loughlin tearfully admitted to losing her moral compass as she and her fashion designer husband were sentenced to prison on Friday.
In a plea deal, Loughlin will serve two months in federal prison and was fined $150,000. Her husband Mossimo Giannulli, will serve five months and pay $250,000 fine. Both are required to surrender to prison officials in November. They admitted to paying $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California.
We want to end on this one. The National Zoo in Washington has a new addition.
Can you stand it?
A giant panda cub, its sex still undetermined, was born on Friday to 22-year-old Mei Xiang. The zoo staff said say Mom, who was artificially inseminated, immediately picked up and cradled her baby, as you can see. All cubs born to the zoo move to China when they're 4 years old.
Zoo directors called the birth a much-needed moment of joy.
Yes, we all need more of that these days. I'm Natalie Allen. Thanks for watching this hour. I invite you to follow me on Instagram and to stay with us. My colleague, Kim, is up next. See you tomorrow.
