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U.S. Passes Grim Milestone of 200,000 COIVD-19 Deaths; Young Doctor Dies After Battle with Coronavirus; Christopher Wray Says Russians Actively Interfering in Election to Denigrate Biden; Bob Woodward Says Ex-Intel Chief Coats Questions Trump-Russia Relationship; Deadlines to Register to Vote Fast Approaching. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 22, 2020 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Today the nation has reached and surpassed 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus. And 200,000 is not just a number. It is lives. Each death is someone with a future, someone with plans, someone with goals, with a family.

Like 28-year-old Dr. Adeline Fagan who just passed away on Saturday. Her sister, Maureen, joins me right now. Maureen, thank you so much for being here. I know you're asked this at every turn and I'm sure you're almost -- have almost become numb to it, but how are you all doing? Can you put it into words?

MAUREEN FAGAN, SISTER OF 28-YEAR-OLD COVID VICTIM DR. ADELINE FAGAN: It is very difficult. But I have a good support system here. My whole family, we have been there for each other since we found the news out Saturday morning and we are leaning on each other and using each other as what we need, whatever we need. Whether it is a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen or just to hold you or to sit there in silence.

We're being what each of us need for each other right now. And it's difficult, but I know that with each other we'll be able to get through it.

BOLDUAN: Yes, you're so strong. I mean I can't even believe it in learning about your sister. And that she just passed on Saturday. And I have never even had the pleasure of meeting her. I mean your sister was 28 years old.

I mean she's a doctor in her second year of residency and she was fighting this virus since July. And you were getting some good reports about her condition and then -- well can you tell us what happened then Friday when you received the call from the hospital?

FAGAN: I personally did not receive any call from the hospital. My parents did. But on Friday we were told that Adeline had been decannulated from her ECMO machine and was on and off the ventilator which were both great things. So we really thought in the near future that she was going to be going to rehab. But that evening, I believe around 10:00 p.m., the staff came in for a

routine check of Adeline and she was unresponsive. And emergency CT showed that Adeline did have a massive brain bleed, which was -- could have been caused by a number of things and it is one of the factors that physicians and staff were aware could happen due to COVID and the machines that she was on.

But it was only made worse because of she was on a blood thinners and they called up my parents and one of the options was to do emergency surgery to relieve the pressure in our brain, but the doctor said that it would have been a one in a million chance that Adeline was anything of what we knew her to be.

And they did not end up doing it. Just because of the chance and they honestly told my parents that it wasn't going to save Adeline. And so around 4:00 in the morning on Saturday, Adeline did pass away in my mom and dad's arms.

BOLDUAN: God. I'm so sorry. And those words are never enough. I'm also I think everyone is so moved by when you speak out and you speak out so strongly, but I'm also so impacted by the closeness of you and your sisters.

You have another sister that you have been speaking out with, Natalie, and you've been through this altogether and I have three sisters and I just know the closeness of that bond of sisterhood. And I just want to you speak to that and kind of what's left now without Adeline there.

FAGAN: Well we did grow up a family of four sisters, in interview process, my eldest sister Emily has not felt comfortable doing interviews but my younger sister has been, just she couldn't be here this afternoon.

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But we've thought long and hard about, you know, what we are as a family and one of the things that a lot of us say is that Adeline was the glue for our family. But even though she really was, she passed so much of herself on to the rest of us.

And we each now know exactly what Adeline wanted and what she gave in this life and I think that is enough to keep her alive within us and keep our family together. Because there is so much of Adeline that she can still give to this world even if she's not here. Because she's, you know, shaped us and provided and made us grow to be as great of a person as she was in this life.

So there are still going to be very close sisters and I know Adeline would be very, very proud of us for doing this and would want us to remain as close as when she was alive.

BOLDUAN: Look, I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you, sister. I know that one of the reason you've all been wanting to speak out is because you have a message. You want to speak to people just about how we could all be in the scenario that Adeline found herself in. And I mean I'm not going to ask you about politics, but what do you

want to say to people out there who might hear the President say that it affects virtually nobody or people who say that they don't want to wear masks or they're becoming complacent, what do you want them to know?

FAGAN: In terms of the complacency I get that you get into a routine and sometimes you just forget. But it's checking for your keys before you leave your phone, do you have a mask, stay six feet away.

I know sometimes it's difficult, you might still be in the habit of like running to hug someone. But everyone in a sense can imagine whether they're the Adeline, their daughter, their sister, their friend or even a neighbor, someone you pass on the street. Everyone could be an Adeline and that's the scary part of this.

And if you can do something as simple as wearing the mask, social distancing, even just using hand sanitizer to do your part. I know, like you said, don't want to get into politics, but my heartbreaks every time I look at something and I remember Adeline and I wake up in the morning and I realize that she's not here and I'm going to have to do that for years and years and years.

And I pray that it gets easier but I know it'll always be with me and if you could do something so that like I said someone you know isn't in this situation, I think you have a right to do that just as a human being and trying to be a good person.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Maureen, thank you so much. I don't even know how to say it enough. But thank you. May your sweet, sweet sister, if we could put her picture back up, rather than seeing me turning into a crying mess on television, of your sweet sister to remember her and her beautiful smile. And she is not a number, she's a life. And one of the 200,000 people who have died from coronavirus.

Maureen, thank you so much.

FAGAN: Absolutely, thank you for having me.

BOLDUAN: Be well. We'll be right back.

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BOLDUAN: Welcome back, everyone. With just 42 days before election day, a headline in today's "Washington Post" should serve as a wake-up call for all. According to the great reporting by the "Post" Josh Rogan, the CIA has recently assessed Russian President Vladimir Putin is right now likely interfering and quote, probably directing an influence campaign to undermine the Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

I want to bring in CNN national security correspondent Alex Marquardt. He has more on this. Alex, there is little that should anger any American more than Russia trying to tip a U.S. election one way or another yet again. What more are you picking up? ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate,

what's really notable about this is the fact that Putin is being named in this CIA assessment according to Josh Rogan. And most Americans know that Russia is carrying out an active campaign to meddle in the 2020 election.

But according to the CIA, through a product that is known as "The Worldwide Intelligence Review" which goes out to thousands of people who work in the U.S. government in national security, that they are saying and I want to quote from this assessment.

We assess that President Vladimir Putin and the senior most Russian officials are aware and probably directing Russia's influence operations aimed at denigrating the former U.S. Vice President -- so that's Joe Biden -- supporting the U.S. President, Donald Trump, and fueling public discord ahead of the U.S. election in November.

Now, Kate, that echoes what we know about Russia. That President Putin back in 2016 in that election, according to the intelligence community, that he ordered an operation to denigrate then the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The intelligence community has said that Russia is now actively working to denigrate Joe Biden in support of the campaign of President Donald Trump.

We heard that from the intelligence community over the last several weeks. We've heard this from the FBI director Chris Wray who spoke to this just last week. Let's take a quick listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We certainly have seen very active, very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020. An effort to both sow divisiveness and discord, and I think the intelligence community has assessed this publicly, to primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: But it is notable, Kate, that that is not something that we hear very often from the White House. And instead, when they talk about election interference, they talk about China.

In fact, after Wray made those comments President Trump criticized him and said, well, what about China?

The intelligence community says that China does indeed not want President Trump to get elected, in fact, would prefer former Vice President Biden. But by all accounts, Russia is being much more active in terms of meddling in the 2020 campaign -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, Alex, thank you so much for laying it out. I really appreciate it. Let me bring person with more perspective on this, national security analyst Samantha Vinograd. Sam, thank you so much for coming on. This reporting from Josh, deja vu or something more? SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well the past is

prologue when it comes to Putin. As Alex just mentioned, the intelligence community publicly assessed in January 2017 that Putin himself was directing a targeted campaign against our elections to discredit Hillary Clinton. Since that time, we have had repeatedly had warnings publicly from the intelligence community.

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This "Worldwide Intelligence Review," and Kate, I've read my fair share, is just one way that the intelligence community has to communicate classified information to key national security officials. It is one data point.

We know for example that last November the FBI briefed lawmakers on Russian efforts to target members of Congress as part of their election attacks. And we also know that members of the intelligence community provide oral briefings to members of Congress and to the President.

But, Kate, intelligence is only as good as policymakers choose to make it. Despite this intelligence, despite detailed information which by the way we didn't have in 2016, about how Russia is attacking us, what tactics they're using.

Republican lawmakers and the President are acting more like Putin's publicist than as U.S. policy makers. Senator Ron Johnson for example still plans to go ahead with his report denigrating Joe Biden this week while the President is still trashing Joe Biden and spreading misinformation about him. And so policymakers are not integrating any of this intelligence into their actions.

BOLDUAN: Well, and I mean, and there's more to it, right? Sam, that's the thing about it. There's so much. You've got Bill Barr who talked to Wolf Blitzer who said that he thought China was more of a threat to the election than Russia.

You've got, add to that, what Bob Woodward reported in his book from Trump's former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. He says, Coats continued to harbor the secret belief, one that had grown rather than lessened although unsupported by intelligence proof that Putin had something on Trump.

And Coats goes on to say, how else to explain the President's behavior? Coats could see no other explanation.

Take all of this together, what does this mean for the current election? I mean people are already voting and election day is 42 days away.

VINOGRAD: What every American should know as they cast their vote now and in the run-up to the November 3rd election is that we have a U.S. President who is actively aiding and abetting Russian intelligence, Kate.

President Trump has reams of classified information about what Russia is doing, why, and how they're doing it. Including using a Russian agent named Andriy Derkach.

President retweeted content from this Russian intelligence agent just a few weeks ago. President Trump knows Russian tactics, knows Russia's mission and continues to knowingly spread misinformation that helps Russia and hurts us.

BOLDUAN: Sam, thank you so much for being here.

Coming up next for us, as battle lines are drawn over how Americans can cast ballots, we're going to talk to a former NBA star about his fight against voter suppression.

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BOLDUAN: It is six weeks to election day. And today is National Voter Registration day. If you are not registered already, you should know that registration deadlines are fast approaching. Of course it varies by state. But registration is closing in several key states within the next even three weeks. Many as soon as October 5th.

On that, joining me right now is former a NBA star Caron Butler. Kind enough to come back and join us, part of an effort called "More Than A Vote," which is a group of athletes and artists working to fight voter suppression and get more people of color to vote. It's great to see you again, Caron.

When we talked last month, we were talking about NBA players refusing to take the court to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake. And one of the players' demands was to turn NBA arenas into polling sites. It's also a key issue for you, you and LeBron James are in this effort together to get black voters -- more black voters registered and to the polls. Why?

CARON BUTLER, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I mean first and foremost, thanks for having me on, Kate. But when you look at the engagement, you know, from a census report and you think about the POCs, you know, grassroot levels specifically in Wisconsin so close to Kenosha where the incident happened with Jacob Blake.

I just feel like they're talking down to these workers that, you know, get paid 15, $20 an hour that don't even, you know, work in these communities or from these communities. And the engagement with the black and brown community isn't always, you know, eye to eye.

So I feel like it's up to us, you know, people that's from these communities that can give back and have given back, myself over 20 years. I feel like my engagement, my platform, I have to be engaging with my people.

I got to talk to them about the importance of voting, talk to them about the importance of filling out the census in which the deadline is September 30th. But also just educating them and informing them to the best of my knowledge because I have access to special (INAUDIBLE) for the foreseeable future. BOLDUAN: And Caron, I mean the mission statement from the group says very clearly, you're not trying to be politicians, you're not trying to be policy leaders. So what are you trying to do? What do you say to people that you're reaching out to, you're talking to, that still often think that their vote doesn't count?

BUTLER: I mean, listen, it is voter suppression and we want people to stay engaged. We want to amplify the energy behind, you know, staying engaged in voting.

When you think about how we got to this point, we're standing on the shoulders of giants, post Jim Crow, the civil rights movements, sit- ins, everything that people sacrificed, you know, when we talk about our ancestors who had faith but no resources.

And now we have faith, resources and access to so many different things. I just want to inform, you know, that minorities will be the majority in 2045. And that's why it's so important that we get engaged because it's not just November, it's not just, you know, this election. But it's way beyond that. We have to be informed and properly educated going forward for the future so we can be engaged in all things. And I think this is the only way to go about it.

BOLDUAN: Caron, it's real quick. I find it fascinating that the NBA and other sports are leading on this. They're also leading in other areas like pushing for better, faster, more affordable COVID testing, for example. Why does it take the NBA or professional sports to lead the way?

BUTLER: I love the fact that the NBA is leading the way. When we think about the first major sports league to pivot out the space when COVID originally hit, we elected not to play for the safety of our fans and players.

And then we created a will where we can go inside of a bubble and exist with no positive tests to date, knock on wood. But we were able to create something that everybody can kind of just copy. And recycle something that we created. So it's amazing.

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And I love the fact that we're always in the front just like with social justice and all the "isms" that we're addressing, we're always in front, you know, leading by example.

BOLDUAN: Because you can but also because you have to, in what we're seeing out there today. Caron, it's great to see you, thanks, man.

Be sure to check out CNN.com/vote. Everybody, you can find a voter guide there. You can also watch the virtual conference "Citizen" by CNN streaming right now.

Still ahead, our breaking news, coverage continues as the United States reaches a grim milestone no other country in the world has come close to.

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