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New Day

Race for a Vaccine; U.S. Nears 6 Million Cases, More Than 183,000 Americans Killed; Boston Celtics' Enes Kanter Speaks Out on Social Justice. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired August 31, 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]

SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): Polling data and the strategy of the campaign and what the battleground states are or were.

Now, if that isn't the two politician, internal polling is a blueprint for a campaign. And that's stated without equivocation in this -- in this report that was released, by the way, by a Republican-led committee. It was a voice vote. There was only one negative vote. Truly a bipartisan, a massive piece of work. I just looked, there's 6,000 footnotes. I mean, this is really some deep research.

And so, we did that work that Mueller didn't. Now, the question is whether people are concerned about it, at this point, and whether they care.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Angus King from Maine, we appreciate you being with us, the kind of guy you are, just to have a thousand pages sitting around at any given time.

(LAUGHTER)

We appreciate the work you're doing. Thank you very much.

KING: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: So, the head of the FDA says he's willing to approve a coronavirus vaccine before human trials are completed. Is that safe? Details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:35:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The United States will surpass 6 million coronavirus cases today and more than 183,000 Americans have now died.

This morning, some top health experts say that FDA approval of a vaccine is not enough. They are calling for an independent panel to review vaccines.

CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins us with more. Why is that Elizabeth? ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, these doctors got this idea because they said their friends were hesitant to get this vaccine. So, other doctors, other nurses hesitant to get this COVID-19 vaccine. These people are pro-vaccine, but they said this vaccine makes them nervous. In fact, a CNN poll shows that 40 percent of Americans say they won't get the vaccine when it comes out.

Now, some of the skepticism is just vaccines -- is this vaccine and worrying about it. Some of it is because of statements that have been made by government officials. Dr. Hahn said this weekend to the "Financial Times" that he thinks that an FDA application could be made and considered even before the Phase 3 clinical trials are made.

Add that to similar statements, add that to concerns about how the government has handled things like protective gear and testing. And that's why this group of experts, these doctors and a medical ethicist say, we need a separate panel to take a look at this vaccine application. Or I should say, the vaccine applications, when they come in, to see what we think of it separate from the FDA. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK. Really interesting development. Thank you very much, Elizabeth.

Joining us now, Andy Slavitt, he's the former acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Obama. Andy, great to see you this morning.

So, let's talk about this Phase 3 clinical trial. Phase 3 trials are the most rigorous. They are the largest.

And so, explain the rationale of the FDA commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, who basically says that getting it out faster might be more important than concluding Phase 3. The benefit, he says, might outweigh the risks. What do you think of that logic?

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: Well, the Phase 3 trial is -- would put this drug into tens of thousands of people before we put it into tens of millions of people. And so, it's quite necessary. It's always been quite necessary, particularly when vaccines are interacting with a novel virus.

Now, as of - as of even a couple of days ago, the FDA had put out a plan and said, we have a standard. We are going to stick to that standard. And that standard is, effectiveness of 50 percent. Meaning there's some improvement in 50 percent of the people who take it. That is an acceptable standard. That is a standard that a lot of scientists agreed with. And if the FDA stuck with that standard, then we would all, I think, be able comfortable that we could look at that data and see whether it met that bar.

Clearly, Commissioner Hahn has been feeling some pressure because this is not a scientific statement he's making. And the reason I think we know he's feeling pressure is because he just made false statements about a drug's effectiveness, which by the way is what the FDA is intended to prevent in convalescent plasma at the behest of the president. I think this is a very concerning situation for a country that waits for a vaccine.

BERMAN: What do you mean when you say it's not a scientific decision he's making?

SLAVITT: He's essentially saying that he will make an emergency use authorization decision based upon a standard that he will decide on. And that standard is something to the effect of the benefit outweighs the harm.

So, John, water. Water. The benefit outweighs the harm in water. That is, in effect, the standard he's now saying he's using, as opposed to saying 50 percent of people show some improvement. That is not -- so he's not talking about data. He's basically laying the groundwork for him to be able to say that he believes that the benefit outweighs the harm, which is not a scientific standard we should use for this vaccine that we're going to put into tens of millions of people.

BERMAN: And on that point, just so people know, a vaccine is different than a therapeutic or a drug for that matter which you give to sick people to make them better. A vaccine is something you give to healthy people. So, the standard has got to be different, correct?

SLAVITT: Oh, exactly right. You know -- and we need people to trust vaccines. It is very, very important that people trust vaccines, because we all rely on each other to get vaccinated. As soon as we start mucking around and saying that there's political considerations that ought to be considered, we are in trouble. Not just with this vaccine, but with future vaccines.

And remember, if you did the math, the effectiveness of the vaccine and the trust of the vaccine are equivalently important. If you had a vaccine that was 75 percent effective, but only 25 percent trusted.

[07:40:01]

It would be the same thing as having a vaccine that was 25 percent effective and 75 percent trusted. So, you can't -- you can't monkey around with this really, really important attribute of human society. And I think they're really playing games.

CAMEROTA: Andy, can you help us understand this new line on the CDC website that says, for 6 percent of the deaths from coronavirus, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. So, basically, this has gotten a lot of attention on social media, where they're basically trying to say, that death rate that the media keeps talking about, it's inflated. It should only be 6 percent of that, you know, COVID-19 has only caused 6 percent of the 183,000 number that you see on your screen right now.

OK, because of comorbidity, basically, is what I think the CDC is saying. But on the flip side, couldn't you say that all of those people, virtually, would still be alive, even if they had underlying health causes, if not for COVID-19? And so, what do you make of the way the CDC is framing it?

SLAVITT: It's a cynical statement. It's not going to make people help. The CDC's job is to make people healthier, to prevent disease. That will not prevent disease. If anything, it will do the opposite of preventing disease. So, we are a little bit living in the upside down land.

You're exactly right. You have to ask yourself, what is the cause of death? And 130 million Americans have pre-existing conditions. That make themselves vulnerable. We know that the average, at least as of a few months ago, the average age that people died was 10 years shorter than their life expectancy, on average which meant a lot of people, it was longer.

So, there's a number of problems with this. It's clearly election year spin that the president is using. He re-tweeted a QAnon account. But for the many, many people who have died and many families of those people who have died, they are just outraged, because they know that their parents, their siblings, their children would still be alive today if it was not for COVID-19. And not only as the president not recognizing that by flying flags that has staff not only is he not having funerals, not only that these people dying alone. He's now essentially nullifying their death.

BERMAN: Yes. Andy Slavitt, we appreciate the explanation. Thanks so much for being with us.

So, the NBA, back in action with players now fighting for much more than just playoff wins. We're going to speak to one player who's no stranger standing up for justice. That's next.

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[07:46:45]

BERMAN: We learned this morning that a St. Louis police officer who was shot in the line of duty has died. Officer Tamarris Bohannon was responding to a shooting call when someone shot him in the head. The suspect was taken into custody after a 12-hour standoff. Bohannon was only 29 years old and served in the department for three and a half years. He's now the eighth St. Louis officer shot since June. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

CAMEROTA: Developing right now, the first commercial flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates just landed in Abu Dhabi. Marking a major step in normalizing relation after the announcement of a peace deal. The flight was allowed to cross Saudi Arabian air space, which is normally blocked, to Israeli air traffic.

Top White House officials, including Jared Kushner, escorted Israeli officials to the UAE. The U.S. delegation also included National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien and Mideast envoy, Abby Berkowitz.

BERMAN: The NBA has resumed play with a new commitment to social justice after postponing playoff games in response to a police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Joining us now is Boston Celtics center, Enes Kanter. Social justice warrior. The Turkish government revoked his passport and issued a warrant for his arrest and retaliation for his criticism of that government. Enes, my friend, as always, great to see you. Congratulations on the Celtics' first win in this next playoffs series last night. What was it like for everyone to be back out on the court after deciding not to play last week in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting?

ENES KANTER, NBA PLAYER: Always an honor. Thank you for the invite.

But I would just say this. Everyone has a very heavy heart, for sure. You know, especially the last couple of days, atmosphere here has been very heavy. And every NBA player asking and saying the same thing. We demand change and justice.

And obviously, like everyone else, after watching that video, I felt sick to my stomach. But like, he is not the only one. You look at what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake and many, many more. And enough is enough. We are sick of it.

People need to understand. You know this cannot be about white against black. This is about everyone against racism. So, that's why we need change and change cannot wait anymore. But I'm just part of my guys and NBA players have stepped up big-time to show leadership. But get them back out there for sure, definitely amazing, because we missed basketball, but at the same time, we wanted to take a stand and make a statement. And say, listen, world, there are more important things than sports right now, and that's why we are here.

BERMAN: You can see it. I mean you could see it in the player's faces. You can hear it in the words after the game. We saw it with Jamal Murray from the Denver Nuggets who scored 50 points. Yes, sure, it helped him win, but he broke down in tears after the game because of his feelings about justice. Can you understand why he was so emotional?

KANTER: I mean, like I said again, this is not one. There are many cases happening. Like I said, people are just sick of it. And like I said again, coming here to NBA bubble, we know basketball is second priority. I feel like we need to use our platform to just keep talking about what's really important, because there are many things important than basketball right now. And like I said, people are stepping up big time and showing leadership.

[07:50:07]

BERMAN: And one of the things that you were all trying to do is get tangible results. And one of those tangible results is opening up some of these arenas that you all play in, as voting centers.

Why is that so important?

KANTER: I mean, that was probably one of the biggest topics we have discussed in the players meeting we just had a few days ago. And we say this many, many times, don't just talk about it or tweet about it. Be about it. And when I say vote, we didn't just talk about the federal actions, we talk about the local elections, too, because we know that they're so important. And you know the voting (ph) shouldn't be difficult process, that should be easier on everybody.

So, one thing that we have asked from our owners is access in the NBA arenas and facilities to vote. And I mean, I feel like it's with us because we just found that only 20 percent of the NBA players are registered to vote and that is not enough, for sure it's not enough. And I feel like if we are going to inspire and encourage others, we have to take action first, then we can affect our families, neighbors, fans and cities and states.

And if you look at you know 2016, I think it was around 139 million Americans voted, and that's about 50 percent. And right now, only 158 million people are projected to vote in the 2020 elections. It's still an improvement but it's not enough. So, if you care about, you know, healthcare, racial equality, education, criminal justice and employment, go vote.

BERMAN: And this is coming from a guy who would give anything to be able to vote here in November, correct?

KANTER: Yes.

BERMAN: But you can't. Why?

KANTER: I mean, I would -- my heart shatter. You know, I wish I can go out there and vote but because I'm not an American citizen yet. I can probably say that I'm going to become an American citizen in the next year. I mean, sadly, just Turkish government revoked my passport so that's why I can't vote. But the least I can do is just try to inspire as many people as I can.

BERMAN: What's it like when you don't come from the United States, obviously, and haven't grown up in the exact same situation that so many of your teammates have? What's it like to look at what's happening in America right now, with these questions about racial justice?

KANTER: It's heartbreaking. Every time I hear it, my heart just shatters. I feel like we need to just keep using our platform to inspire, especially our young generation, and keep educating them. Because one, they are becoming our age, so they won't have the same problems because like I said, again, like this is everyone against racism. So, if you have -- not just an athlete. If you have a platform, singer, rapper, actor, I feel like we need to use our platform to inspire and encourage others to step up, because this is bigger than everything else. This is definitely bigger than a lot of us.

BERMAN: Well, if only 20 percent of the players in the NBA are currently registered, you're bigger than most of them. Go out there and get them, register now.

KANTER: For sure.

BERMAN: Get the job done as you have on so many issues. We really appreciate you being with us this morning and talking to us, what's going on behind the scenes and go get them in game two. Appreciate it. KANTER: Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

BERMAN: Joe Biden will address racial justice in a speech today in Pittsburgh. The latest on what he plans to say, next.

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[07:57:45]

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

BERMAN: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. And by the end of today, more than 6 million Americans will have been infected by coronavirus. 183,000 Americans dead.

One American, Jacob Blake, is paralyzed from the waist down this morning after being shot seven times by police. Three Americans are dead in two cities, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon, in clashes surrounding protests over racial justice.

And the question this morning, the question should be, what is being done to make the situation better? What is being done to address police treatment of black men? What is being done to keep the protests peaceful and not an excuse for violence?

Today, Joe Biden will address this issue head-on. He's got a speech in Pittsburgh. In a statement, he said shooting in the streets of a great American city is unacceptable. I condemn this violence unequivocally.

He also says of the president, "He may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong, but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is."

CAMEROTA: President Trump appears to be stoking the unrest with his Twitter feed. Tweeting his support for a caravan of hundreds of his supporters in pickup trucks rolling into Portland after they clashed with protesters and before a man identified as a supporter of a far- right group was shot and killed.

Tomorrow, President Trump plans to visit Kenosha. Wisconsin's governor though is pleading with him not to come.

And this morning, growing concern over the Office of National Intelligence, deciding to end in-person briefings on election security with Congress just two months before the presidential election. Why would they be given less information at this date?

Joining us now to talk about all of this, we have CNN senior national security analyst Lisa Monaco. She's a former assistant for the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism under President Obama. She also led the vetting process for Joe Biden's running mate. Lisa, great to see you this morning.

LISA MONACO, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, Al. CAMEROTA: Let's just talk about what's happening in these pockets of the country, the unrest, the violence that we've seen in Kenosha and Portland. The video is, of course, dramatic, and three people being killed is tragic, and horrible.

President Trump is trying to -- it seems -- trying to use all of that to eclipse what else is going on with coronavirus.