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New Day

FDA Gives EUA for Plasma; Protests in Wisconsin after Shooting; Protests in Belarus Continue; Reports on the Coronavirus Pandemic from Around the World. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 24, 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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[06:32:47]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Developing this morning, the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus. The plasma is made using the blood of people who have recovered from coronavirus infections. And because it has to come from someone who had it, it is obviously in limited supply. While there are promising signs from some studies, there's not yet a randomized clinical trial to provide data on the treatment and some experts say there's not enough evidence yet that it's safe and effective.

Jonathan Swann back with us for the political angle. On the medical angle, William Haseltine, he's the chair and president of ACCESS Health International, a former professor at Harvard Medical School.

Professor Haseltine, I want to start with you.

Why did Dr. Fauci, Dr. Collins and others express concern about the lack of data here? What does that tell us and what do you make of this Emergency Use Authorization?

WILLIAM HASELTINE, CHAIR AND PRESIDENT, ACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: Well, first of all, it is -- the data does not support, as Dr. Fauci, as well as officials of the FDA, have said, Emergency Use Authorization of this drug. That means they don't believe, as I don't believe, having read the reports, that the drug has shown to be effective and that it's shown to be safe.

People are mostly and should be mostly concerned about safety. I've helped to develop drugs like this. And it's taken us ten years to show that these drugs are safe. I'm not arguing it would take ten years, but there are risks that have not been properly accounted for here. And the efficacy is weak, to say the least.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: But, Jonathan, President Trump's in a rush. I mean, if there's one thing about President Trump you can rely on, it's that he's not subtle. And so what he wants at the RNC is to be able to announce a major medical breakthrough or a cure or, you know, wave his magic wand so that things are looking better than the thousand Americans dying a day. And so he's going to announce it and there's questions about whether the FDA has, you know, felt political pressure to go along.

JONATHAN SWAN, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "AXIOS": Well, I can tell you, behind the scenes there's been extraordinary political pressure. It's not just the public pressure you've seen from the president tweeting about the FDA and I have some new reporting.

[06:35:00]

Last Monday, there was a meeting -- the meeting was supposed to be about Covid-19 and the strategic national stockpile. It was Peter Navarro, the president's trade adviser, with top health officials from the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, and Health and Human Services. Navarro, in the meeting -- it was quite an extraordinary moment according to people in the meeting. He said -- he turned to the FDA and he said, you are all deep state and you need to get on Trump time.

Now, the decoder of that is, well, we all know that the deep state, as a slur, but the Trump time is Navarro's way of describing the speed at which President Trump wants things done. So when you talk about political pressure, I don't know how you get a more concrete example than that scene last Monday.

BERMAN: So, Professor, when you hear a story like that, as someone who's been in this field for a long time, how does that make you feel?

HASELTINE: Well, I think it should make every American shudder in their boots. The FDA is a bulwark that protects us against snake oil salesman and patent medicine salesman. That's an image we have and it's a true image.

It also prevents us from corruption. Once you have political power to tell the FDA what is safe and effective, it opens the door to corruption for electoral or for financial reasons. We have that agency to protect us. And we need that protection.

As somebody who's brought eight drugs to approval, I can tell you, I've worked effectively with the FDA. They are helpful. They are not obstructive, as most people believe. And to see this agency distorted, as it is, makes me extremely worried about the safety and efficacy of any vaccine that may be approved. We need to have vaccines that are given to un-infected, normal people, some of them at high-risk from other diseases, to be safe. If you have political pressure, there is no guarantee that they will be safe. This is a very, very dangerous precedent.

CAMEROTA: Jonathan, your reporting is so fascinating. I mean just fascinating to hear how Peter Navarro tries to twist arms and, of course, the political -- I mean it just couldn't be any more blatant than that kind of political pressure.

BERMAN: Peter Navarro, how many medical degrees does he have?

CAMEROTA: I think none.

BERMAN: Zero. I'm going with zero. CAMEROTA: I think zero.

Anyway, Jonathan Swan, thanks very much for sharing that with us.

And, Professor Haseltine, great to talk to you, as well.

BERMAN: All right, we have a major development overnight, as well. Protesters in Wisconsin after a black man was repeatedly shot by police in the back, reportedly in front of his children. We have a live report from the scene, next.

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[06:41:43]

CAMEROTA: We do have some breaking news.

A police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Cell phone video captures police repeatedly shooting a black man in the back at close range.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is live Kenosha with the breaking details.

What happened?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, these familiar scenes that we watched play out across the country now playing out here in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after a black man shot by a local police officer. That leading to tensions and also some protests overnight. And what remains are some smoldering garbage trucks that were used as roadblocks to guard some of the county buildings here.

Before we show you the video, that it is important to point out, it i it is important to Kenosha; Police; hoot a black man is very difficult to watch. I want to tell you a little bit about what actually led to that very -- that key moment yesterday evening.

According to Kenosha police, their officers were called to a domestic disturbance. It's still unclear, though, Alisyn, exactly who called police and, of course, why. And in the video you will see a man that the governor has identified as Jake -- Jacob Blake (ph) actually make his way to the driver's side of a vehicle with one of two officers then opened fire. And it's also important to point out that according to local authorities, he's still in serious condition at this hour.

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SANDOVAL: Now, it's important to point out, also, what we don't know at this point, including exactly why the officer obviously felt the need to use deadly force, we also don't know exactly what transpired before that video started or at least that camera started to record here. We should note that Kenosha PD did essentially step aside, not only

handed over the crime scene to an outside agency, but also handed over the investigation to the Department of Justice here in the state of Wisconsin as they try to answer that key question, of course, exactly what happened yesterday.

In the meantime, of course, here in Kenosha, there is an emergency curfew that's still in place for another hour or so as authorities try to make sure that things remain peaceful for now.

BERMAN: All right, Polo, please keep us posted. Obviously, that is developing as we speak.

Overnight, wildfires in California have burned more than a million acres and officials are now concerned that new lightning strikes could spark still more fires. Crews are battling hundreds of blazes, including three of the largest in California's history. Resources there stretch the limit. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has released this video showing two firefighters being rescued from an advancing fire after they were trapped.

CAMEROTA: Also developing overnight, a senior State Department official meeting today with the opposition leader in Belarus. This weekend, tens of thousands of protesters demanded embattled President Alexander Lukashenko step down, but he refuses to go.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live in Minsk with more.

What's the latest this hour, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Alisyn.

Certainly some incredible scenes that we saw here in Minsk yesterday with that giant protest taking place. There are some people who say that up to 100,000 people crowded the square in front of the parliament here in Minsk. We spoke to some of the protesters who were on the ground and they were telling us they believe that they need to come out now or maybe miss their moment to have change here in this country happen. They're obviously demanding new elections and they're demanding that president dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, step down.

Now, what we always have to point out, Alisyn, is that these protesters are extremely peaceful.

[06:45:02]

They don't get close to any of the security forces and the protest is loud but it is peaceful at the same time. And it was very, very bizarre to see that as these peaceful protests were going on, there was video of dictator Alexander Lukashenko that was released of him flying over the city in a helicopter with an AK-47 by his side. He later left the chopper and inspected some of the checkpoints at one of his palaces, it appears.

And this seems to be part of what Alexander Lukashenko is doing is trying to paint these very peaceful protesters as being a threat to Belarus. He also said that there was some sort of plan by NATO to allegedly invade Belarus. Of course, this is something that NATO and the U.S. have very much denied. But Lukashenko is essentially, many people here believe, trying to draw Vladimir Putin into all this and make Russia believe that the west is trying to make a move on Belarus.

But at the same time what we're seeing on the ground here is these protesters very peaceful, demanding change, but, of course, doing that without any sort of violence, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Very good to know.

Fred Pleitgen, thank you very much.

Back here in the U.S., NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has a major regret when it comes to Colin Kaepernick. Details in the "Bleacher Report," next.

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[06:50:10]

BERMAN: Developing overnight, South Korea has suspended in-person classes in almost 2,000 schools as the country's president warns that a second wave of coronavirus cases is more severe than the first.

CNN has reporters all around the world covering the latest developments.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Seoul.

Another triple-digit rise in new coronavirus cases here in South Korea. And health officials say we haven't yet reached a peak of this surge. Given the fact that if you look at the last week's cases, a fifth of them have untraceable infection routes. Now, the main area of concern is still a cluster at a particular church here in Seoul. Almost 900 cases are related just that one church. President Moon Jae- in says this is a new crisis and it's the worst since the pandemic began. More than 1,800 schools have suspended their in-person teaching.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Barbie Nadeau in Rome, where here in Italy health officials are very concerned about a new spike in coronavirus cases. For the second day in a row, health officials have recorded more than 1,000 new infections. Now, these are numbers we haven't seen in this country since the lockdown was lifted back in May. They say most of these cases are young people who are coming back from holidays where they haven't been practicing safe social distancing, where they haven't been wearing face masks, and where they brought Covid-19 back here to Italy. The real concern, of course, is that school is supposed to start next month.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Culver in Beijing, where the masks are coming off, at least in certain spaces. Beijing health officials have eased the policy, making it so that during outdoor activities, when folks are not standing too close to one another, they can breathe a bit easier and remove the face coverings.

This is really indicative of how confident authorities here in China's capital are of preventing further spread of coronavirus. But just like we saw here in June, cluster outbreaks can and have happened. And with them, a swift return of the many restrictions on day-to-day life.

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CAMEROTA: Our thanks to all of our correspondents around the globe.

Well, for the first time, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he regrets not listening to Colin Kaepernick.

Andy Scholes has more in the "Bleacher Report."

What did he say, Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, you know, Colin Kaepernick has not played since the 2016 season. That's when he began kneeling to protest police brutality and racial injustice. And Commissioner Roger Goodell, you know, he recently said the league was wrong in the way they handled Kaepernick's peaceful protest. And in a conversation with former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, Goodell apologized for not listening to what Kaepernick was trying to do.

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ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: The first thing I'd say is, I wish we had listened earlier, Kap, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to.

We had invited him in several times to have the conversation and have the dialogue. I wish we had the benefit of that.

EMMANUEL ACHO, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Yes.

GOODELL: We never did. And, you know, we would have benefitted from that.

ACHO: Yes.

GOODELL: Absolutely.

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SCHOLES: Now Goodell also said players kneeling during the anthem is not them being unpatriotic and their intentions are being mischaracterized.

All right, to the NBA. The game in the bubble so far. Clippers/Mavs, game four, down one in overtime. Mavs Luka Doncic to step back three at the buzzer to win it. Luka just incredible in this one, 43 points plus, plus he had 17 rebounds, 13 assists. First time ever that stat line has been done in the playoffs. And a 21-year-old doing it all on a bad ankle.

Check out his teammates after the game. Luka getting mobbed again in the locker room, getting that water bottle bath. Dallas tying that series two games apiece heading into game five tomorrow.

Got a triple header of action on our sister network, TNT, later today starting with the Rockets and the Thunder at 4:00 Eastern. I'll tell you what, Alisyn, it was such a great sports weekend. It was the first time in a long time I found myself on the couch just yelling at the TV quite a bit.

CAMEROTA: Congratulations, that sounds like a victory. And that -- I mean I'm no expert, but that was a great shot.

BERMAN: It was.

CAMEROTA: I know.

SCHOLES: It was amazing.

BERMAN: I -- told you, you would like it.

CAMEROTA: I know, you were like even -- watch this, even you will like this.

Andy, thank you very much.

OK, back to the news.

Back-to-back storms are taking aim at the Gulf Coast. It could bring torrential rain. It could bring life-threatening storm surge. So we're tracking them, next.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A one-two punch. The Gulf Coast bracing for two storms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These storms are not to be taken lightly. You need to be prepared to ride out the storms, you and your family, wherever you are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is possible that there could be some spots measuring rainfall in one to two feet instead of in just inches.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The delegates from across the country will formally cast their ballots for Donald Trump and Mike Pence to be the ticket for the Republican Party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you're going to see a very hopeful version for -- vision for America that he's going to be unleashing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'll be on stage for four days in the upcoming convention. It's a one-man Broadway show.

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

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And President Trump, you're up. The Republican National Convention begins tonight and the president is being greeted by the news this morning that a significant list of former Republican members of Congress endorsing Joe Biden.

We're getting our first look at the Republican Convention's schedule and it is Trump heavy, relatives, and the president himself speaking every night. I don't know what's going on behind that tent, but it --

CAMEROTA: Something important. That's what we're reveal -- it's going to be a reveal.

BERMAN: It's very suggestive. Very suggestive. I saw that tent before and I want to go what's going on behind it.

[06:59:58]

On the eve of the convention, President Trump announced that the FDA has given emergency authorization for the use of convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus, but some experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, say it has not.

END