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1,000+ More Americans Die as Concerns Grow Over Midwest Spike; Trump Doesn't Mention Jacob Blake During Kenosha Visit; Trump Peddles Baseless Conspiracy Theories in Final Stretch of Campaign. Aired 6- 6:30a ET
Aired September 02, 2020 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A National Institutes of Health panel says doctors should not use convalescent plasma for COVID-19.
[05:59:27]
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The data around that didn't really reflect reality of what those trials showed.
ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, HHS: It's great to talk about this utopian kind of idea where everybody has a test every day and we can do that. I don't live in a utopian world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe systemic racism is a problem in this country?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places.
JACOB BLAKE SR., FATHER OF JACOB BLAKE: We're not talking politics. Our son is an actual human being. So if you don't know his name, it's Jacob Blake.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER; This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Wednesday, September 2, 6 a.m. here in New York. More than 1,000 new deaths from coronavirus reported overnight. One thousand. That's a number that should be chilling in its familiarity.
And this morning, there's growing concern about a rise in cases in the Midwest. The White House coronavirus task force is particularly concerned about Iowa. You can see it there in red.
Iowa had a 22 percent positivity rate in testing yesterday. That means more than one in five people tested had the virus. The administration is calling for a mask mandate there, the closing of
bars and a plan for reopening universities. The governor in Iowa has been reluctant. Sound familiar?
The president was over the border in Wisconsin and had nothing to say about this. Nothing at all.
As of this morning, more than 25,000 coronavirus cases have been reported at colleges and universities in at least 37 states. We're talking about Iowa. Iowa State University is not only allowing football, but plans to let 25,000 fans into the stadium to watch.
So obviously, getting back to school is on everyone's mind this morning. Jill Biden this morning discusses her husband's proposals in a new interview with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL BIDEN, JOE BIDEN'S WIFE: We are in Donald Trump's America. And there's just so much chaos. And I feel that, you know, educators don't know what to do. Students don't know what to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, also, an extraordinary move from a medical panel at the National Institutes of Health. They say there's not evidence to support the use of convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus patients.
That puts them at odds with President Trump and the FDA, which has fast-tracked approval of that treatment.
We're also following the falling [SIC] -- the fallout from President Trump's visit to Kenosha. He did not visit with Jacob Blake's family. In fact, he never mentioned Jacob Blake. Blake's father says his son is nobody's pawn, as he continues to fight for his life. So we have more on that interview ahead.
But let's begin our coverage with CNN's Nick Valencia on the coronavirus pandemic -- Nick.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.
More than 1,000 Americans died from the coronavirus yesterday. And as cases continue to pop up across the country, the Midwest is the new hot spot.
In Iowa, the White House task force warns that the situation there is dire. A 77 percent increase in cases just over the last week, with universities being a major factor contributing to the spread.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A touch play (ph). Touchdown! Iowa State, 51 yards.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Iowa State's planning to kick off the football stadium to a stadium of about 25,000 fans in less than two weeks. The university says they'll be social distancing.
But the announcement comes as the White House coronavirus task force warns Iowa is the nation's latest hotspot. With an average positivity rate above 10 percent for the past 13 days, the task force strongly encourages Iowans to wear masks statewide, and close bars, restrict indoor dining, and limit gatherings to ten people or fewer within the state's red zones.
DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, FORMER CDC OFFICIAL: I know it's outside, but think of all of the -- the parties that will go on before and after. And so all of those people together, you can be sure that the coronavirus will also be attending and also be spreading during those circumstances.
VALENCIA: As the upcoming Labor Day weekend threatens to fuel another surge, Dr. Deborah Birx sending this warning about attending large gatherings, especially to college students.
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE COORDINATOR: If you have been at a party or you've been at an event or you had a large gathering, potential exposure did occur.
And you need to assume that until you get tested, that you could have the virus, because you may be asymptomatic. And that you may unintentionally spread it to your mom, your grandparents.
VALENCIA: This as Admiral Brett Giroir announced the Trump administration will begin distributing $5 antigen tests to states in mid-September but says it's unrealistic to expect to have rapid tests available for everyone.
GIROIR: I don't live in a utopian world. I live in the real world. And the real world had no test for this new disease when this first started.
VALENCIA: After President Trump called the FDA's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma to care for coronavirus patients a historic breakthrough last month, the National Institutes of Health is now advising against the treatment until more studies are completed.
GUPTA: I think pretty much everyone in the public health community, when they looked at the data around convalescent plasma, they want to -- to be enthusiastic about this, but they have to see the actual data, and it's not there yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA: And as the National -- National Institutes of Health says that convalescent plasma should not be considered standard treatment for patients with COVID-19, it begs the question, Alisyn. Will the Trump administration find itself in a similar situation as hydroxychloroquine, where the emergency use authorization is rescinded -- Alisyn.
[06:05:11] CAMEROTA: OK, Nick. Thank you very much for all of that reporting.
Also new this morning, Jacob Blake's father responding to President Trump's visit to Kenosha, where he did not speak with the Blake family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAKE: None of my children are chess pieces. And my son is definitely not a pawn. And we're not going to be political. It's not a political way that I'm going to talk about it. We're not talking politics. My son is an actual human being, and my son is actually laying in the hospital.
My son's name is Jacob Blake. If you didn't mention it, then you don't care about him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is live in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with more -- Shimon.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, the president coming here yesterday afternoon. Right behind me, he visited this office furniture store, met with the owners. And as you have said, no mention of Jacob Blake's name.
And what this visit really felt more like a campaign event, a photo op for the president, who's meeting with some of the business owners here and, really, showing more empathy towards law enforcement than the people who have been part of this movement, part of what they feel is police violence across this country.
Now, after he left this location here, he went and did a roundtable with some local law enforcement, who were praising him, thanking him for their support. The president there talking about police violence, and here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't believe that. I think the police do an incredible job. And I think you do have some bad apples.
They call it choking. And it happens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe systemic racism is a problem in this country?
TRUMP: Well, you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places. It's tremendous violence. You always get to the other side. Well, what do you think about this or that?
(END VIDEO CLIP) PROKUPECZ: And the Biden campaign responding to the president's visit here, and here's what they said: "Trump failed again -- once again to meet the moment, refusing to utter the words that Wisconsinites and Americans across the country needed to hear today from the president. A condemnation of violence of all kinds, no matter what -- no matter who commits it. This is not leadership. As we stand at the critical juncture for our country, Joe Biden is offering a path out of the darkness of Trump's destructive and divisive presidency."
And that is the Biden campaign, John, responding to what President Trump said here yesterday and his visit here.
CAMEROTA: Shimon, I'll take it. Thank you very much for all of that reporting.
PROKUPECZ: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: So President Trump and the FDA tout it as a coronavirus treatment, but now a medical panel at the National Institutes of Health says there is no evidence that it works. We bring you the facts about this plasma therapy, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:12:25]
CAMEROTA: Overnight, the U.S. reporting another day of more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. Also, growing concern about a spike in cases in the Midwest, particularly in Iowa.
So joining us now, we have William Haseltine. He is the chair and president of Access Health International and a former professor at Harvard Medical School. Also, the author of a COVID back-to-school guide, which is very helpful right now, Professor.
It's great to have you here. Let's talk -- let's just zero in on Iowa and what we're seeing there. They have the highest case count in the country right now. If we look at their new confirmed cases, I mean, this graphic tells the story, where you see it bouncing along at the bottom, and then, you know, shooting up, you know, this month.
So what do you see here?
WILLIAM HASELTINE, CHAIR AND PRESIDENT, ACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: I see a tragedy unfolding for the people of Iowa. Unfortunately, from what I've read, it doesn't seem as if their governor is responding adequately. It doesn't seem as if the university is doing the right thing. To hold a football game, even to have a football practice, is irresponsible. And it's irresponsible for the city, the citizens of that state.
BERMAN: Iowa State isn't just letting the football team play, Professor Haseltine, they're going to put 25,000 people in the stands, which is astounding, given the situation they're in.
And Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa, the administration, Deborah Birx and others, are urging a mask mandate in Iowa right now, because of the situation there, something that the governor does not want to do. She refuses to issue a mask mandate. She has closed bars in a few counties, but not nearly the number that is being recommended.
So, what do you think will happen over the next days and weeks there, given the measures that are not being taken?
HASELTINE: Well, we know what's going to happen. Because we've seen it happen again and again. When people don't pay attention to what this virus, the danger this virus poses, to how contagious this virus is, they get together in parties, they mix in the bathrooms and the other public areas. The virus has a great opportunity to jump from one person to the other.
And as we know very well by now, the great majority of people who are contagious and who are spreading this virus don't know it.
And so for people who have responsibility for protecting their citizens, not to pay attention to that, to go ahead and let these things happen is invitation for just continuation of the disasters we've seen since -- really since March.
CAMEROTA: Professor, we want to get your thoughts on what's going on with convalescent plasma, because there are these two disparate schools of thought. You can either believe the FDA or you can believe now NIH. And they have completely different findings.
[06:15;12]
So as you will remember, the director of the FDA had said that there was this Mayo Clinic study, and they were quite optimistic about the result. In fact, they acted -- before the RNC, they made this announcement, as though it was almost a cure.
HASELTINE: You know --
CAMEROTA: And now the NIH -- Let me just tell you what the NIH says and then I'll let you respond. They say, "There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19. Convalescent -- convalescent plasma should not be considered standard of care for the treatment of patients."
OK, go ahead, Professor.
HASELTINE: Well, they're dealing from the same deck, in a way. They have the same set of information. They've reached, apparently, different conclusions.
It turns out that the data that underlies -- and I've read the data -- that underlies this conclusion that convalescent plasma will work, isn't really convincing. Most people, the vast majority of people who were in the test, had no benefit whatsoever. There might have been a very slight benefit for some people, but you couldn't tell, because there was no proper control.
So it's really a matter of different opinions. And it appeared as if the FDA originally agreed with the NIH, and then changed its opinion.
The really most troubling part of that is the data was misrepresented by the head of the FDA. I heard him misrepresent that data. That is extremely troubling for a regulatory agency to have the head -- and then he apologized for misrepresenting the data in public.
Now, convalescent serum does have some potential, but it's a dilute form of what ultimately might be a much better treatment, which is to concentrate the antibodies that are in the plasma for many patients, or coming down the pike relatively soon, will be purified forms.
But even then, that has to be used very specifically. It has to be used in the early phase of infection, within ten days of primary infection. And what was found is if it was used after three days from onset of symptoms, it had very little effect.
That means we have to get back to testing. We have to test people much earlier, find the people who might benefit from these treatments, and use -- and treat those people with antiviral drugs. That's the implication of this. It's a much more complicated disease than we thought originally. We've got to treat it very early on with antiviral drugs if we're going to be successful.
BERMAN: There's just one more thing on the convalescent plasma. It's an even more stark contrast than I think we're presenting here. Stephen Hahn and the president touted convalescent plasma as a breakthrough. It's not just that they gave it approval. They touted it as a breakthrough.
Hahn misrepresented or lied about the data, saying it would save 35 out of 100 lives, and that's just wrong. It's just completely flat-out wrong. The data doesn't say that at all.
And now you have calls from inside the government saying the opposite thing. So the entire messaging on this has just been a complete debacle.
I talked to Eric Topol last night, a doctor out in California, who says that Hahn's got to have a press conference and tell the truth or he's got to resign. That's the level that some people around the country are saying this is at right now.
And Professor Haseltine, on the issue of testing, you bring up the fact that, well, what's needed, then, is more testing, more robust testing. It's interesting that you say that today, given that Admiral Giroir, who's in charge of testing here in the United States, said, You know what? Testing is not a utopia. Getting tests to everyone, that's never going to happen. We've got to get beyond that.
So what about that messaging?
HASELTINE: Well, first of all, I think the way to bring this epidemic to a rapid close in the United States is to identify everybody in the country who's contagious and help them isolate. That's what we need to do. There are some people who stand at the deep bottom of the valley and
look up a mountain and say, I can't climb it. There are other people who say -- stand in the same place and say, I will get to the top. Those are the people we want to support. Those are the people who should be helping us out out of the valley that we're in.
It is possible, I think, to have affordable, home saliva tests that give you an answer in 15 minutes and cost about 50 cents each. That is a possibility. Other countries have done it.
Let me give you one example. Egypt tested everybody in their country for Hepatitis C using an American test that cost 50 cents a person and took 15 minutes to give them the answer. It can be done.
You should always strive for the top of the mountain and not be satisfied to be in the shadows of the valley.
BERMAN: Admiral Giroir says it's a utopia, and it's not going to happen. We shouldn't be able to expect for everyone to test themselves at home. But I understand the point you're making, Professor Haseltine. As always, we appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
[06:20:11]
HASELTINE: You're welcome.
BERMAN: So the Centers for Disease Control taking a new step to ban most evictions through the end of the year for Americans struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new order applies that people making less than $99,000 a year or couples making under $198,000.
It's a move by the Trump administration, trying to head off potential mass evictions in the month before the election.
Administration officials say renters will eventually have to pay back any missed payments.
The idea here is -- the reason it's a health issue, they say, is that if people are evicted from their apartments, they would have to go to shelters, and that's not safe in the midst of a pandemic. So it's an interesting way to address the eviction problem.
Up next, President Trump pushing what appears to be this new conspiracy theory meant to enrage supporters. As of this morning, neither the White House nor the Trump campaign has offered a shred of evidence to back up something that might be a delusion from the president, the idea that this plane that's been flying around the country filled with what he calls thugs and people trying to disrupt the protests.
CAMEROTA: And later in our program, some eyebrow-raising claims from the president's supporters about coronavirus. How they feel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: So just to be clear, Ellie (ph), you don't believe that 183,000 Americans have died?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not of COVID, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want you to know that I'm a nurse. And I've been a nurse for 27 years. And the response to the pandemic has actually been President Trump's greatest achievement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: OK, you're going to hear part two of our pulse of the people with Trump voters, three of whom now regret that vote. All of that's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:26:05]
BERMAN: This morning, neither the White House nor the Trump campaign has been able to produce a shred of evidence to back up a story that the president has no -- now told twice in two days in great detail. So is this just a fantasy? A delusion? A lie?
He claims there was a plane full of what he calls thugs either coming to or going from the Republican convention. He can't seem to decide. Listen to both stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with -- with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. And this person was coming to the Republican national Convention.
The entire plane filled up with the looters, the anarchists, the rioters, people that obviously were looking for trouble. This was a firsthand account of a plane going from Washington to wherever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Uh-oh! Uh-oh! In the first version, it was coming to the convention, in the second version --
CAMEROTA: It's been threaded (ph) wherever.
BERMAN: It was going to Washington or wherever. Was it a round-trip flight? Was it a layover?
So clearly, again, it begs the question what's going on here? Last night, I pressed a Trump campaign spokesperson for answers, and he couldn't answer a single shred, not one piece of evidence to back up the president's claims. The White House hasn't been able to, either.
Joining us now, CNN political analyst, Astead Herndon. He's a national political reporter for "The New York Times." CNN political analyst Margaret Talev. She's a politics and White House editor for Axios. And Jemar Tisby. He's an historian and author of "The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism."
And Jemar, I want to start with you, actually, here because I think there are two issues surrounding this conspiracy theory. No. 1, what does it tell you that the president continues to create these fantasies, these delusions out of thin air? What does it tell us about his brain?
But the other thing is why he's doing it and the messaging that he's sending on the day that he visits Kenosha and does not mention the name Jacob Blake. Explain that part of it for me.
JEMAR TISBY, HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR: So part of this president's strategy is constant distraction. And by talking about this conspiracy theory, we are in a sense taking our eyes off the ball, that what happened in Kenosha was the result of anti-black police brutality. That Trump's visit there had all the hallmarks of scoring political points with his base, rather than what the president ought to be doing, which is speaking words of hope and empathy and unity.
And when you don't even speak to the victim's family, that tells us what you're trying to do is get votes, and not actually lead this nation in a time of chaos and unrest.
CAMEROTA: Margaret, a planeload of people in black clothing, flying in? They're all anarchists? I mean, it just -- it reeks conspiracy theory.
And the idea that, you know, John had this conversation with the Trump campaign, that they have no explanation -- they don't even try. They don't even offer one up. What is that? What's happening?
MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I mean, what the president said was deeply disturbing, and if any sitting president were making a statement like that, you would want an immediate briefing on what he was talking about and what had happened.
But I think that what we're seeing here is the president really playing in terms of messaging toward this effort to shift the conversation from the coronavirus to public safety and, in particular, public safety in the suburbs.
And I think we're going to probably see what happened in Kenosha yesterday again in swing states with areas of white suburban voters, where you may have voters who are less worried about the virus and more worried about some spot between the economy and public safety.
The polling pretty consistently shows, and there's a new poll from Grinnell College in Iowa that the president has not been expanding his base, is underwater with suburban voters, suburban women, especially, white college-educated men.
