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Trump's Sister Bitterly Criticizes Him In Secretly Recorded Audio; World Tops 23 Million COVID-19 Cases, U.S. Still Worst Affected With Cases Rising; India Announces Three Million Coronavirus Cases; France Sees Surge In COVID-19 Amid Struggle To Enforce Mask Laws; Russian Opposition Leader In Stable Condition In Berlin Hospital; Trump Pushes Conspiracy Theories As House Rebukes His Handling Of The USPS; No End In Sight For Deadly California Wildfires. Aired 1-1:30a ET
Aired August 23, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Damning new criticism of the U.S. president. This time Donald Trump's own sister says the president is "cruel" and "has no principles."
Also India reaching an unwanted marker, the country surpassing 3 million coronavirus cases.
And in a stable condition, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny battling for his life in a Berlin hospital.
Welcome, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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HOLMES: U.S. president Donald Trump has his share of critics, of course, and it turns out at least two fierce ones are in his own family. As first reported by "The Washington Post," in conversations secretly recorded by their niece, Donald Trump's sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, calls Donald Trump "cruel," "unprincipled" and "a liar," among many other unflattering comments.
She also seemed to confirm Mary Trump's claim in her recent book that Mr. Trump had a friend take his college entrance exam. The White House denies that.
Mary Trump has made it clear from her recent book and the release of this audio of her aunt that she has major differences with Donald Trump, her uncle.
Michael Kranish is with "The Washington Post" and originally reported the story. He talked earlier to CNN about something Trump's sister said in one of those secretly recorded conversations about the president's immigration policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL KRANISH, NATIONAL POLITICAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Mary Trump heard that her brother, the president, had said on FOX News that "maybe I'll have to put her," meaning Judge Maryanne Trump Barry -- she was a federal judge at the time -- "to the border because there are a lot of refugees coming into United States."
And at the time, as you recall, children being separated from their parents and being put in these cramped quarters.
And Maryanne was talk -- gave a conversation with her niece, Mary, and she said, "It's all about the base. All he wants to do is appeal to the base. He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean, my God, if you're a religious person, you would want to help people, not do this."
So there are a lot of quotes like this that are very candid. As far as we can tell Maryanne Trump Barry did not know she was being recorded by her niece. I reached out to her yesterday and again today to let her know. I did not hear back from her. So, I don't have a comment from her.
As far as I know, she also has been commented on things that she was quoted saying in the book by her niece.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN has reached out to Maryanne Trump Barry for comment.
President Trump did comment at the White House, putting out a statement which said this, "Every day, it's something else, who cares. I miss my brother and I will continue to work hard for the American people. Not everyone agrees but the results are obvious. Our country will soon be stronger than ever before."
A short time ago, I spoke with CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein. I asked him, the airing of Trump family dirty laundry aside, will tonight's "Washington Post" story change anything when it comes to Trump's base?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, look, this is his closest living relative, who has known him the longest. And her comments about his personal unfitness to be president are coming on the same day that 73 former national security officials in Republican administrations, including former heads of the CIA and FBI and a top counselor, Condi Rice, in George W. Bush State Department, are all saying he's unfit to be president.
A few days after the head, the chief of staff of his own Department of Homeland Security, said he's unfit to be president and we had a former Republican presidential candidate make that case at the Democratic convention as well as our colleague at CNN, Charlie Dent, a former Republican congressman, say the same.
It's not that all of this has no effect. I mean, there's a reason he is losing the popular vote by 8 or 9 or 10 points in the polls. And he is on track, potentially, for the worst showing among college educated white voters of any Republican nominee ever.
But he's not out of the game. I mean, we are not in a moment where we are looking at Nixon, McGovern, Reagan-Mondale. There is somewhere between 40 percent and 45 percent of the electorate concentrated among blue collar whites, evangelical whites, rural whites, that either don't care or don't believe it.
But in either respect, believe he is kind of their sword against all -- or their shield, their wall -- against all of the changes in American life they don't like. And because that base is very hard to dislodge, he is still in the game, at least, in the Electoral College, if not the popular vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN's Senior Political Analyst, Ron Brownstein speaking to me there a short time ago.
President Trump is going to be holding a news conference on Sunday in what the White House is calling a "major therapeutic breakthrough" regarding the coronavirus. This coming just a day after he accused regulators of dragging their feet on a vaccine or treatment.
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HOLMES: Without giving any evidence, Mr. Trump tweeted this, "The deep state or whoever over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously they're hoping to delay the answer till after November 3rd. Must focus on speed and saving lives."
November 3rd, of course, Election Day.
The U.S. does lead the world with more than 5 million coronavirus cases and 176,000 deaths. On Saturday the number of lives lost to the virus topped 800,000 worldwide, 23 million people infected.
Some countries are seeing surges. Italy topping 1,000 new cases on Saturday for the first time since May. More than 1,200 new cases reported in the U.K. and the government advised a warning of possible draconian measures.
Brazil, second only to the U.S., reported 50,000 new infections, nearly 900 deaths. CNN's Kim Brunhuber looks at how some countries are dealing with the rising cases.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): A festival in India to honor a Hindu god but with about 3 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country, it's a more somber occasion than usual.
"Today there is a special prayer in the temple," a priest says. "We are playing praying that everyone is cured and that the coronavirus will end." Prayers also in Baghdad, where Shiite pilgrims are gathering for the
beginning of a holy month, despite calls from clerics to stay at home as COVID-19 spreads across the country. The number of cases here rising above 200,000.
This virus has no regard for religion or the people who practice it. The global death toll now more than 800,000. Some experts say some very down to Earth measures are what's needed right now.
In Bolivia, where infections have topped over 100,000, health care workers go door to door in the poorer errors of La Paz to test residents and hand out medical kits.
"I have shortness of breath," one woman says. "I've seen the doctor and she has tested me. One more month and I think I will be OK but a lot of people have died in the neighborhood."
Peru will soon begin phase 3 clinical trials of a vaccine developed by a Chinese company and is in talks to buy millions of doses of a potential vaccine. Its case count is the sixth highest in the world.
Lebanon is under a partial lockdown for two weeks after its infections doubled since an explosion rocked the city more than two weeks ago.
"Everyone has been mixing," one man says. "Corona has certainly increased. We have to take care of ourselves and fix our homes."
A curfew is in place with exceptions for making repairs, clearing rubble and giving out aid, a helping hand that much of the world affected by an unmerciful disease could use right now -- Kim Brunhuber, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Meanwhile, India has just announced it has hit 3 million coronavirus cases. It is only the third country in the world to do so, after Brazil and the U.S., of course. Vedika Sud joining me now from New Delhi.
Bring us up to date on the situation there and what's being done about it.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Michael, you're right, the third most affected country in the world but also the fourth country with the highest deaths across the world as well.
Why it surges, over 56,000 deaths. What is to be noted also and I'm going to give you a few figures here, it took India about 6 months to get to the 1 million mark and another 21 days to get to the 2 million mark and just 16 days to surpass 3 million confirmed cases of COVID- 19.
Now this is essentially happening, Michael, because the testing has really gone up for the last time you and I spoke. The testing is close to 1 million a day now and that's what the Indian government is targeting. This has happened since the 8th of June. You are seeing this surge
take place because you've been seeing the unlocking of India take place. People are going back to work ever since, people have been out on the streets, it's business as usual in many ways. Temples have opened up, gyms have opened up. Things have been opening up over the last few weeks because of which we are seeing this tally go up day by day.
Also there are a few states in India that have been witnessing floods as well. So imagine you have some states across India that is not only dealing with the COVID cases but also with floods at the same time, most of them being poor states with weak infrastructures.
This remains a challenge, Michael, no doubt, as far as the measures in place are concerned. Still, the government is asking people to socially distance themselves, wear masks, be careful when they are out on the streets. They are asking the elderly to stay at home, children below the age of 8 to be within their homes for the time being.
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SUD: It's a lot of challenges coming India's way. But you have to keep in mind what experts say. These figures will keep going up, Michael, for the simple reason that India has a huge population, the second most populated country across the world -- Michael.
HOLMES: Indeed. The increase rate is concerning. Vedika Sud, thank you very much, good to see you.
SUD: Thank you.
HOLMES: France is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases as well, the national health agency saying the number of new infections increasing by 42 percent over the last seven days. But that's not making it any easier to enforce mask laws. Melissa Bell reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new frontline in Europe's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Its soldiers no longer health care workers in hospitals but policemen and women patrolling the streets to remind tourists and locals alike of the new rules.
Here in Marseille, national police units have been brought in to enforce the recent law that made masks mandatory in a growing number of French cities. The fine for not wearing one is nearly $160.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If there weren't police on the streets enforcing, people would wear it less. When they see us, it reminds them that it's mandatory and often that's enough.
BELL: Part of the problem is that the new regulations in France were brought in quickly, as coronavirus cases rose these last couple of weeks. As a result, they can be confusing and difficult to enforce. These police men and women behind me are checking people's masks on the streets. They are also obligatory down there on the beach. But what they
exclaimed is that the new rule will simply be too difficult to enforce in such a crowded space.
BELL (voice-over): Since the reopening of the E.U.'s internal borders in June, Europeans have been heading south for the summer. And from Greece to Croatia, from Spain to France, COVID-19 figures have been rising.
And it is to contain those rises that fresh regulations have been introduced. Before, in France, masks were mandatory and indoor spaces and enforced by shopkeepers or on public transport by the conductors themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were on the front line and, at first, it was hard to get people to comply. Sadly, people need to be scared. They need to be fined for them to understand that it's mandatory, especially in a city like Marseille. People won't listen much to a conductor but they will listen to the police.
BELL (voice-over): But police unions say their new responsibilities bring fresh problems for an already stretched police force.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've had the Yellow Vests, now it's COVID. While we are busy with those missions, we cannot fight other crimes like delinquency and that's our primary job. That's what it should be.
BELL: And the wider region around Marseille, the number of coronavirus cases for 100,000 people has risen tenfold in just a month. Soon enough, the tourists gathered here in the city's old port will be heading home, back to work and back to school with fears for Europe's autumn and the fresh regulations that it is likely to bring -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Marseille.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: There was a big indoor concert in the German city of Leipzig on Saturday but it didn't defy coronavirus restrictions. It's fascinating, actually. It was actually staged by medical researchers. They're hoping to learn more about how the virus spreads at such events and how to prevent that.
About 1,500 people attended the performance. They were given respiratory face masks, fluorescent hand gel and electric contact tracers. Now scientists are going to be looking at things like how many critical contacts each person had, which surfaces were touched most often and so on and so forth. Fascinating idea.
Well, visiting hours at a hospital in the Czech Republic have become quite a spectacle. After restrictions on visitors to elderly patients were introduced due to coronavirus, these horses stepped in to help. They've been a morale booster for lonely and stressed patients.
The hospital says the horse therapy supports patients' mental health, which is, of course, a step towards physical healing. A quick break now. When we come back, the Russian dissident Alexei
Navalny finally being treated by German doctors after a suspected poisoning in his home country. But to some, what happened is crystal clear. We will have a report after the break.
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HOLMES: Now an update for you on the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after a suspected poisoning. His chief of staff says he's in stable condition under the care of doctors in Berlin.
Navalny's family and coworkers managed to get him out of Russia but they did have to fight for it. The British foreign secretary Dominic Raab says he is relieved that Navalny is now getting the care he needs and that there must be a, quote, "full and transparent investigation" into what started at all. Matthew Chance is in Moscow for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He was evacuated from the Siberian city of Omsk on Saturday morning. Now Alexei Navalny is said to be unconscious but stable at the Berlin clinic.
Doctors there are now working to save his life and to find out what caused one of the Kremlin's most outspoken critics to fall so ill so suddenly. Navalny is a prominent anticorruption campaigner in Russia. He's pictured here drinking a cup of tea in an airport cafe on Thursday before boarding a flight to Moscow from the Russian far east.
After that plane was forced to make an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Omsk, (INAUDIBLE) was taken seriously along board, disturbing images are showing the opposition figure screaming with agony as medics carried him off the aircraft and took him to a hospital in a city where he was put on a ventilator to help him breathe.
Russian doctors say they found no trace of poison in his blood or in his urine. But Navalny's family have accused the hospital of a cover- up and insisted that he was transported outside of the country.
While this incident has provoked wider national concern because there's a long list of Kremlin opponents who've been poisoned, shot or otherwise attacked. Some of have survived; others haven't been so lucky.
The Kremlin has rejected any suggestion that it's connected with this incident and has wished Navalny a speedy recovery. But he is, for the moment, at least, yet another outspoken Kremlin critic who has been silenced -- Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative and longtime critic of Russia's Vladimir Putin, doesn't have any doubts about this case. He spoke with CNN's Bianna Golodryga a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARRY KASPAROV, CHAIRMAN, RENEW DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: As for the case of Navalny, of course he was poisoned and of course it is Putin.
I say this with confidence not because I also oppose Putin or because I have inside information but because the evidence is obvious and overwhelming. There is no benefit of the doubt for a known murderer.
Putin's enemies have been poisoned, dying of blunt force heart attacks or being gunned down. I believe in coincidences but I also believe in the KGB. And asking "why would Putin bother" helps the Kremlin propaganda liars.
Putin critics keep dying, keep being poisoned. It's a murderous mafia regime. And trying to find reasons and excuses for Putin is disgusting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That was former world chess champion and chairman of the chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative, Garry Kasparov, on the Russian activist Alexei Navalny.
NATO is dismissing claims that it's conducting a military buildup on the Belarus border. An alliance spokeswoman called the allegations by the embattled Belarusian president "baseless." The country has seen two weeks of protests now over the disputed August 9th elections. Protesters and the opposition say it was rigged and they are demanding a new poll.
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HOLMES: President Alexander Lukashenko says he will be closing factories where workers have demonstrated and is vowing to, overall, shut down the protest.
The French president condemning an act of vandalism at a World War II memorial in central France. Officials say the memorial was defaced with graffiti denying the Holocaust. They say the word "liar" was painted over the word "martyr."
The memorial marks a brutal massacre at a French village by German troops. Police are investigating the incident which follows repeated vandalism attacks at Jewish cemeteries in France.
Coming up, right here on CNN NEWSROOM, no relief in sight as California firefighters battle hundreds of wildfires in extreme weather. Just ahead, we will take a look at some of the damage this major emergency has already caused.
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HOLMES: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a $25 billion measure to block cuts and operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service. The changes have caused delivery delays all across the country.
Democrats and some Republicans say they are trying to prevent any adverse impact on mail-in voting for the November election. President Trump has threatened to veto the bill but it might not survive the Republican-led Senate -- almost certainly won't.
The White House has approved a major disaster declaration for the state of California after wildfires burned through nearly half a million hectares of land in the month. The warm, dry weather and lighting strikes continue to threaten lives and homes throughout the state. CNN's Paul Vercammen with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, a clearing of the air, a little better air quality today here in Napa County gives a better view of the devastation here of the LNU complex fire, second largest in California history.
Look at this valley here, completely obliterated by the blaze. I'm above Lake Berryessa here, most of these home just taken right down to the ground. Once in a rare while, you'll come upon a house in this neighborhood that survived.
And for these people who had their homes saved but watched all of their neighbors lose their dreams, there's a sense of survivor's guilt.
MARTY RODEN, FIRE SURVIVOR (from captions): I was one of the lucky ones and my house is down at the end of this street. And pretty much every house is gone, other than like five houses on the whole neighborhood.
VERCAMMEN: You are said you are one of the lucky ones?
Anything you could attribute that to?
RODEN (from captions): I have no idea. God, maybe? Luck. But I feel sick for all my neighbors.
VERCAMMEN: A tremendous toll as well on this particular fire. So many of them burning in California. But four people lost their lives. And we are seeing animals flushed out by these flames. A family of deer looking for anything green to eat. Some person who lost their home was conscientious enough to leave out
a bowl of water for the deer. The big concern now, Michael, looking forward, the prediction of the possibility of more dry lightning strikes on Sunday. And that's how we got to this place in the first place. All of those lightning strikes sparking fires throughout northern California.
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VERCAMMEN: Back to you now, Michael.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Paul Vercammen, our thanks to you.
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HOLMES: And thank you all for watching and spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Don't go anywhere; "AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS" is coming your way next.
