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Study: Wearing Masks could Save up to 130,000 Lives in U.S.; AstraZeneca to Resume its COVID-19 Vaccine Trial in U.S.; Trump-Biden Fight Intensifies after Debates 11 Days until Election; 51 Plus Million Early Votes Already Cast 11 Days To Election; Boston Schools Go Back To All-Remote As COVID-19 Cases Climb; Georgia County Hit With Election Ransomware Attack. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 23, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. And we're following breaking news.

More than 223,000 Americans have now lost their lives in the coronavirus pandemic as the number of known cases here in the United States has now topped 8.4 million. And in a very, very disturbing sign, the number of hospitalizations is now at the highest level since August. But despite the country's frightening trajectory, a new study shows that as many as 130,000 Americans lives could be saved if people would simply wear masks.

We are following all of the breaking election news as well. Right now, President Trump is in must-win state of Florida, still needing to reset his campaign although his performance in the last night's debate was markedly less combative.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is hitting back at the president. Just a little ago, in a major speech accusing him of having given up, given up on fighting the pandemic.

Now in just 11 days left until the election, more than 50 million early votes here in the United States already have been cast.

Let's begin with more on the breaking campaign news. Our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is joining us from Florida right now. Jim, the president clearly understands how important Florida, Florida, Florida is to him.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. With these debates behind him, President Trump is now in the fight of his political life. He is trailing Joe Biden in critical battleground states like Florida where he is campaigning tonight.

We are stationed outside the president's upcoming event in Pensacola. We can see Trump supporters streaming into this venue behind us. None of them, hardly any of them wearing masks at this moment. We want to also show you a live picture of a current Trump rally taking place right now in The Villages in Central Florida. That's a key part of that battleground state.

Again, Trump's supporters not social distancing, not wearing masks as this coronavirus is raging across the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): Campaigning in the must-win state of Florida, President Trump is predicting a comeback, even as he's trailing in the polls and running out of time.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to be a great - red wave like you've never seen before. You're going to have a wave like you've never seen before.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The president is patting himself on the back after his less hostile debate with Joe Biden.

TRUMP: I wanted to play by the rules. I felt very strongly about it. It's two different styles. I'm able to do different styles, if you had to.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But Mr. Trump is still trying to rewrite history, insisting he's always taken responsibility for his response to the coronavirus.

TRUMP: I always take responsibility.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Even though that's obviously not true.

TRUMP: No, I don't take responsibility.

ACOSTA (voice-over): As COVID-19 cases are once again peaking in the U.S., the president and top administration officials gathered in the Oval Office without wearing masks, as Mr. Trump needled one reporter for using one.

TRUMP: This is Jeff Mason. He's got a mask on. It's the largest mask I think I've ever seen.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: Coronavirus Task Force doctor, Anthony Fauci, said the West Wing's resistance to mask-wearing is not setting the best example.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Virtually everybody who is in that room was tested that day to go into the Oval Office. But, still, the image of that is something that may give the wrong impression to people.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Though Fauci acknowledged the president is spending more time listening to controversial task force member Dr. Scott Atlas, a mask skeptic.

FAUCI: I definitely don't have his ear as much as Scott Atlas right now.

ACOSTA (voice-over): In his own post-debate speech, Biden called on all Americans to wear masks and to listen to the scientists.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Yes, Mr. President, I will listen to the scientists, and I will empower them.

ACOSTA (voice-over): At the debate, the president was sending more mixed signals, falsely claiming the virus is going away.

TRUMP: We're rounding the turn. We're rounding the corner. It's going away.

ACOSTA (voice-over): While also saying Americans may have to grow accustomed to life with COVID-19.

TRUMP: I say we're learning to live with it. We have no choice.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Biden slammed Mr. Trump for that.

BIDEN: He says that we're - you know, we're learning to live with it. People are learning to die with it.

Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The president also claimed he's not a racist.

TRUMP: I can't even see the audience because it's so dark, but I don't care who's in the audience. I'm the least racist person in this room.

ACOSTA (voice-over): While smearing undocumented immigrants who show up for their court dates.

TRUMP: I hate to say this, but those with the lowest I.Q., they might come back.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The Trump campaign believes Biden had a major gaffe when he said he wanted the U.S. to transition from fossil fuels to green energy.

TRUMP: Would you close down the oil industry?

BIDEN: By the way, I have a transition from the old industry, yes.

TRUMP: Oh, that's a big statement.

BIDEN: I will transition. It is a big statement.

TRUMP: That's a big statement.

BIDEN: Because I would stop...

KRISTEN WELKER, MODERATOR: Why would you do that?

BIDEN: Because the oil industry pollutes significantly. I'd stop giving them federal subsidies.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Mr. Trump tried to turn to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for some political help, as he touted a new peace agreement between Israel and Sudan. But take a listen, as Netanyahu seemed reluctant to play along.

TRUMP: Do you think Sleepy Joe could have made this deal, Bibi, Sleepy Joe? I think -- do you think he would've made this deal somehow? I don't think so.

[17:05:00]

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, Mr. President, one thing I can tell you is, we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in America. And we appreciate what you've done enormously.

TRUMP: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And even though the president is happy with his debate performance, not all of his advisers are pleased. I talked to one Trump campaign adviser who said candidly the president did not deliver, did not deliver a knock-out blow against Joe Biden at a time when he needed it most.

Getting back to showing you how these supporters are behaving at these rallies, Wolf, take you back to The Villages in Central Florida. Show you some live pictures from there. Again, supporters there not social distancing, not wearing masks and I can tell you behind us as people are streaming into this Pensacola rally, also again not wearing masks as they head into this venue.

The president is packing in thousands of supporters into these rallies even though there is a track record that some of these supporters are getting sick after going to his events. Wolf?

BLITZER: Clearly, he still has a huge, huge following. Thousands of people showing up at all of these rallies in these key battleground states.

All right. Jim Acosta, thank you very, very much.

Let's get some more on the breaking pandemic news right now. Brian Todd is working the story for us.

Brian, I understand we are getting some important vaccine news. What is the latest?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf.

The drug maker AstraZeneca said it's about to resume the experimental vaccine trial of its vaccine in the United States. That trial had been on pause since last month because a volunteer in Great Britain had suffered a neurological condition, but AstraZeneca says the FDA has reviewed all the global data and concluded that it's safe to resume that experimental vaccine trial in the United States.

Now, on the other side of this coin, America is by almost every metric in the early stages of a very dangerous surge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): The winter surge of COVID has begun. That's according to an influential modeling group at the University of Washington which now predicts about 160,000 more Americans could die by February 1st.

32 states are trending up and reporting new cases. There were more than 70,000 new cases across the country yesterday, the highest daily count in months. 12 states have just seen their highest ever 7-day averages of new cases.

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: People are just tired. They are tired of months of mask wearing and social distancing. They are letting down their guard. And, unfortunately, the coronavirus is not done with us yet even if we are done with the coronavirus.

And so, we really do need to double down on the basic measures. Mask wearing is number one. Number two, number three.

TODD (voice-over): In fact, that same modeling group at the University of Washington says if 95 percent of Americans wore masks in public, more than 100,000 lives could be saved through February.

Meantime, the head of the National Institutes of Health said a vaccine won't be the magic bullet if enough people don't get it.

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: I've been talking so optimistically about how we are likely to have a vaccine by the end of the year. But it's only 50 percent of Americans are interested in taking it. We are never going to get to that point of immunity across the population where this COVID-19 goes away. It could be here for years.

TODD (voice-over): In three coronavirus hot spots in the U.S., vastly different approaches to mask wearing. The mayor of New Orleans says anyone not wearing a mask in her city could get a 500-dollar ticket.

MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL (D-LA), NEW ORLEANS: So, this is just another urge and another encouragement to follow the simple guidelines to put that mask on, keep your distance so we can stay on track.

TODD (voice-over): But in South Dakota, the governor tweets that the government should not mandate mask wearing. Quote: "Those who don't want to wear a mask shouldn't be shamed into it." She says. "We need to respect each other's decisions."

And in Colorado, a federal judge has cited with two churches who sued. The judge ruling that the churches don't have to limit their indoor capacity and don't have to require parishioners to wear masks. It goes squarely against Colorado's COVID-19 rules.

PASTOR BOB ENYART, DENVER BIBLE CHURCH: We will worship together. We will have congregational singing and we could do that without the government interfering. GOUNDER: I find that somewhat confounding. To the best of my knowledge, there is no religion in the world that does not put human life as the number one priority, the number one value.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: And we have this just in as well. Despite the proclamations by President Trump and his Health and Human Services secretary that the United States is turning a corner with the virus. The president's own surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, has just said that this coming week, we will probably have what he says is the highest number of cases that we have ever had on a daily basis in the United States. He notes that cases are going up in about 75 percent of the jurisdictions across the country and Dr. Adams said that almost invariable deaths will increase as well. Wolf?

BLITZER: I simply don't understand why the president keeps saying we are turning the corner. It makes no sense at all. It's getting worse and worse.

All right. Brian, thank you very, very much.

[17:10:00]

Joining me now, Rick Bright, a top vaccine expert who actually resigned from the federal government back on October 6th. Several months after filing a whistleblower complainant accusing the Trump administration of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Bright, thank you so much for joining us. You just heard Brian Todd's report showing that there are some very, very troubling trends unfolding right now. Coronavirus cases are surging, hospitalizations around. So much of the country are climbing as we head into the winter. Just how dire is the situation right now?

RICK BRIGHT, FORMER DIRECTOR, BIOMEDICAL ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY: Well, Wolf, thanks for having me on today. I'm very concerned about the numbers that we are seeing today. More cases today in the last 24 hours than we have seen for many months since the start of this entire pandemic.

It was entirely predictable as he laid out in my testimony to the Congress last May. If our government didn't step up and show leadership and put in place proper guidelines and strategies and plans to stop this pandemic and slow its spread, I predicted that back in May that we would see the darkest winter in modern history.

And unfortunately, Donald Trump and his administration has failed to put any of those actions in place that we have talked about for months. President Trump has failed to protect Americans from this pandemic.

He is still in denial. We heard that last night in the debates. He is still is not telling Americans the truth. And until Americans hear the truth and see leaders leading by example, they are not following the best public health guidance and that is why we are seeing this skyrocket in cases and it will translate into more deaths. Hundreds of thousands of more deaths over the coming months. Unless we have strong leadership, and everyone takes action now.

BLITZER: Yes, but there are some developments involving therapeutics, some developments of vaccines which is your specialty. What is your reaction to the news from AstraZeneca, for example, that its vaccine trial will resume here in the United States after it was paused due to safety concerns? You're a true expert in this field. What do you think?

BRIGHT: Well, Wolf, it's a sigh of relief. I mean, whenever we develop vaccines for anything, when we get into larger clinical studies, we are always going to find something that happens in a person and we have to stop and investigate whatever happens and determine if it was related to the vaccine or not. And determine if it poses some risk that will be greater than the benefit that we would see if we had a vaccine for that particular disease target.

It sounds like the FDA took their time to review this. AstraZeneca clearly provided all the needed information and data for the FDA to review. With the FDA giving a green light to continue in that clinical trial tells me that they are going to continue watching and monitoring closely for any similar events such as what they have seen already. However, the FDA must be comfortable that either the event was rare or insignificant for whatever they investigated and/or the company has a really strong plan in place to monitor for that to happen again. And if it does, I'm sure the FDA will be notified very quickly.

I'm encouraged that the trial is continuing. I'm encouraged that we have five or six other clinical trials also in late stage development. So, I think we are getting closer and closer to a vaccine.

BLITZER: On the other hand, you heard what Dr. Francis Collins, the National Institutes of Health, is warning that if only 50 percent of Americans are willing to go out there and get the coronavirus vaccine and God willing there will be a safe and effective vaccine either one dose or two doses, whatever it takes, the virus could still stick around for years if only half the American population is willing to take the vaccine. What does that illustrate to you?

BRIGHT: Well, it illustrates we have a long road ahead of us still. So, even with an effective vaccine, you're right, Americans have to take the vaccine. We have a lot of trust to rebuild amongst the American population and our government and the manufacturers who are making those vaccines.

I think the politicization of the pandemic that we have seen by the White House, by President Trump over the last several months, the political pressure on the CDC and the FDA have not done anything to help build trust. I think, if anything, it's eroded trust. So, the FDA by using an external advisory panel of experts to review the vaccines as it become available is a critical step for that transparency that I hope will build trust in American people to take the vaccine.

However, as Dr. Collins indicated, even when we have a vaccine, I think it's going to take another whole year from now before we have sufficient supplies and the process to vaccinate enough people across America. And, therefore, we are going to still be wearing masks and social distancing for a while even after we have a vaccine.

[17:15:09]

BLITZER: Yes, Dr. Fauci told me a few weeks ago he thinks even with a vaccine that is safe and effective, most of us will still be forced to wear masks for most of next year given the fact that even a safe and effective vaccine might only be 70 percent effective, meaning 70 percent of the people who get the vaccine will have a positive outcome from it, but for 30 percent, maybe it's not going to much at all. So, this is a problem that is going to be around for a while.

Rick Bright, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for all your important work.

BRIGHT: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Up next, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden talks about his pandemic plan and says we don't have to be, quote, "held prisoner" by what he says on President Trump's failures.

And we are also tracking the race to win 270 electoral votes as the candidates are focusing in on those key battleground states with just 11 days to go before Election Day here in the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:25]

BLITZER: Fresh off last night's final presidential debate, Democratic Nominee Joe Biden is back on the campaign trail intensifying his attacks on President Trump and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

CNN political correspondent Arlette Saenz is covering the Biden campaign for us.

Arlette, today, the former vice president laid out part of the strategy for dealing with COVID-19. Tell our viewers what he said.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it's clear that in these final 11 days of the election, Joe Biden wants to keep the coronavirus pandemic front and center in this campaign. You saw him talk about it last night in the debate and in his speech today offering a different vision for how he would approach the pandemic that is still gripping the country. He was once again critical of the president as he spoke in Wilmington, Delaware today. Accusing him of quitting on America and not having a sufficient plan to address the crisis.

Take a bit of a listen to more of what Biden had to say earlier today in Delaware.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The longer Donald Trump is president, the more reckless he gets. We don't have to be held prisoner by this administration's failures. We can choose a different path. We can do what Americans have always done, come together and meet the challenge with grit, compassion, and determination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Biden also ran through a bit of the policy and strategy for how he would approach COVID-19, should he become president. One of the things he said is that he wouldn't wait until becoming president being in the White House to get to work. He said that during the transition, he would start talking to governors about the resources that they might need in their states. He also said that he would push Congress to have a bill on his desk by the end of January to provide resources for public health and economic concerns. Biden also again talked about a mask mandate saying that he would press governors to institute that in their states if they didn't implement that, he would go to the mayors and local officials to try to get that done. Biden acknowledging himself that on a federal level he could only mandate masks in federal buildings.

But one of the overarching things that you heard from Joe Biden is that he will listen to the scientists. That is what his guy did all of his response to the coronavirus pandemic and he says that that is how he would operate in the White House.

Now for Biden's part campaigning over the next few days they are likely to hammer away at this message once again. Tomorrow he will have events in Pennsylvania, that critical battleground state that President Trump narrowly won back in 2016. And he is also getting some more help from that top Democratic surrogate President Obama who will be hitting the campaign trail in Florida. All these events smaller, socially distance is they are trying to present that contrast to the president with the coronavirus. Wolf?

BLITZER: Florida is so important. The fact that former President Obama will be there for Joe Biden tomorrow is very, very significant. We will of course have a lot of coverage of that over the weekend. Our thanks very much Arlette for that.

Let's get some more from CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip and CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen, former presidential adviser David Gergen.

Abby, today really illustrated the very sharp contrast between these two candidates. On the one hand, Joe Biden is focusing his message entirely on coronavirus. The president on the other hand, is holding crowded mask less events in the Oval Office and that campaign rallies. This one that he is holding today with senior citizens packed without a lot of face masks, no social distancing at all in Florida. So, what do you make of that contrast with just 11 days to go?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the president is doubling down on this part of his reelection strategy. There has not been, despite the change of tone last night, a change in message from President Trump. He is running on the coronavirus basically going away even though we know that that is not what is happening. He is running on this idea that he doesn't have to campaign with the virus in mind or even responsive -- being responsive to the concerns of voters on the issue of the virus. And that is the contrast with Joe Biden. I mean, it could not be more clearer for voters.

So, this is not an attempt by the Trump campaign to try to narrow the differences between the candidates on COVID and leave the broader differences on issues like the economy, which the president is on more sure footing on, and it's a real distinct choice. And I'm not sure it's going to work because we know, based on the polls, the American people are not satisfied with how the president is handling this virus. They think he needs to take it seriously and show more leadership and the kind of leadership they want to see is in the way that he behaves at the White House at these rallies and in his day-to- day life, in addition to sort of sending a broader message to the American public.

[17:25:08]

BLITZER: And David, despite what the president is saying, we are rounding the turn, for example. Coronavirus cases right now are surging throughout so much of the United States with only 11 days to go before Election Day. How much do you think this will weigh on these few undecided voters right now in those key battleground states who potentially could make the difference?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: If we are in the beginning stages of a dark winter as Joe Biden said last night, the next 10 days, the media is going to have to decide if they are covering the presidential race or they're going to start over the pandemic. And the truth is that they will cover how Biden and Trump respond to the pandemic.

And so far, Trump is relying on these rallies, that doesn't provide an answer on the pandemic and there is no evidence in yet that his rallies are changing the margin Joe Biden has had a steady margin of eight to 10 points ahead nationwide. That rallies aren't seem -- don't seem to be cutting into that.

And we have seen no evidence at these rallies are extending people to vote early. Most of the people -- a lot of people are voting early are Democrats, not Republicans. So, I think the Trump campaign has maybe they're just in a box and can't get out of. But they have mishandled the messaging and the focus on the pandemic to show real leadership. They are not showing real leadership and I think it's become a real drag on him. And one of the reasons Joe Biden is likely to win at this point is that he is handling the pandemic with so much more respect for science.

BLITZER: Yes, I wouldn't pay too much attention to those national polls. I would pay attention to those five or six or eight battleground states where this election will be determined. National polls interesting but you know what, the current president lost the popular vote last time about 3 million votes. He still won the electoral college. He was elected president of the United States. You need 270 electoral college votes. You know, Abby, President Trump might have missed his last chance to change the trajectory of the race at the debate last night with only 11 days to go. What does he need to do right now to give himself a serious shot on Election Day with only these few days left?

PHILLIP: Well, we have been just discussing it. The big drag on President Trump is his handling of the virus and he has demonstrated that that is not going to change between now and Election Day. I do think last night that the change of tone, while it probably wasn't the kind of -- as Jim Acosta put it, the knockout blow that perhaps maybe his allies wanted, it was soothing to some Republicans who are unlikely to vote for Biden but wanted the president to sort of show a different kind of tenor of his voice, frankly.

And especially for other Republicans who are running on the same ballot as President Trump. I think his change of tone - his change of tone was important for them. But he still struggling with seniors, he's still struggling with women. And he didn't offer them anything different in the substance of what he had say last night and he is not going to change his approach. We know that already.

So, this is where the race is right now and I think this is probably where it's going to be in terms of the fundamentals between now and Election Day and just a matter of whether he's going to get enough people to support him or don't like Joe Biden to show up at the polls.

BLITZER: Yes, I suspect he did reassure some of those undecided Republicans with his performance last night. Abby, thank you. David Gergen, thanks to you as well.

Coming up, President Trump and Joe Biden are focusing in on those key states as they battle for the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House. One of them of course is Florida. That is an absolute must-win for President Trump as he is campaigning there. In fact, right now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:33:58]

BLITZER: Breaking news, we're following more than 51 million votes already have been cast here in the United States and Election Day is still 11 days away. CNN's Phil Mattingly is tracking the race to win 270 electoral votes. Phil, what can we glean about the state of the race where the candidates are focusing in these final few days?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, this is obviously crunch time. And well, the campaigns are usually pretty cool and actually laying out their specific strategies. You can pick up some signals and that is where they're going and how much they're spending.

Take the state of the race right now as it currently stands CNN race tracker obviously has Joe Biden in a fairly comfortable position, above the 270 votes he would need to actually win the election. But there's still a lot of time and a lot of money to be spent. And that's where I actually want to start. If you pick up the ad spending over the course of the final two weeks of this campaign, Joe Biden has an edge but where he does not have an edge is in spending in the state of Florida.

Obviously millions of dollars are going to be kicked out over the course of the next several days. But no question both campaigns are laser focused on the state of Florida and it's not just the spending. It's also the personal time. President Barack Obama going to be in Miami this weekend. President Trump currently in Florida, Mike Pence heading there as well.

[17:35:06]

And here's the reason why, Wolf, if you take a look at the gold states, these are the toss up states right now. Give President Trump every single toss of state except for the state of Florida. Would he give that to Joe Biden? Joe Biden is in a very, very comfortable position. If President Trump starts taking away and say, Arizona, where he won in 2016. If he wins Pennsylvania, where he won in 2016, he is still below where he needs to be. He would essentially have to sweep, Wolf, the Midwest in order to win if he loses Florida.

It's why everybody says Florida is so crucial. It's why so much money has been spent there. The reality for the Trump campaign is without Florida, it's very unlikely the President will be re-elected.

BLITZER: Yes, I don't think he can be re-elected if he doesn't carry Florida. It's such a key battleground state. That's one of the reasons clearly that the President is in Florida today. It's a must win state. But it's where the where in the state he's going that's also significant. Tell us why.

MATTINGLY: Yes, I want to track back to 2016 to actually show why I think where he's speaking at this moment. in the villages in Sumter County, the county, mainly a retirement community, oldest median age in the country. You go into Sumter, this is not a county that President Trump is going to lose. So why is he there?

Well, in Florida, you're not about flipping counties. You're about running up in the counties that you traditionally win. And here's why Sumter County, even though President Trump is going to win, is a problem. Let's go up to the polling for seniors those above the age of 65. National exit polls in 2016, President Trump carried seniors by seven points, down in Florida, he blew it out, one by 17 points.

Now take a look at where things stand right now. Nationally, down by 10 points to Joe Biden. In Florida, down by eight points to Joe Biden. President Trump has a serious, serious problem. If he's losing seniors right now, that's why he's in the villages right now. And it's not exclusive to him. President Obama going down to Miami Dade, Wolf, as you know, that's a Democratic stronghold as well. Democrats trying to raise their margins and their strongholds as well.

BLITZER: Yes, the former President, President Obama is going to try to get that vote out. Those Democrats who didn't bother to vote four years ago, he wants them to show up the polls this time around that could be key to the determination of who wins Florida.

All right, Phil, thanks very much.

Coming up, with 11 days to go until the presidential election, a truly extraordinary number of people already have voted early. We'll have an update for you when we come back.

Also, Boston, Massachusetts, the schools there, go back to all remote learning as coronavirus cases are surging. I'll speak with the city's Mayor when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:08]

BLITZER: Boston schools have just gone back to all remote learning as the city now faces a growing number of coronavirus cases. Until yesterday, more than 3000 high-needs students have been allowed back into classrooms.

Joining us now the Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, Marty Walsh. Mayor Walsh, thanks so much for joining us. I know you said you haven't seen transmission actually within the school. So, why suspend in-person learning or rather than target those places, let's say like restaurants, or other non-essential venues?

MAYOR MARTY WALSH (D-MA), BOSTON: We've been following the science, Wolf, from the very beginning here and the science and the data has showed us that a week ago, we were at a 4.4 infection rate for testing. And in a one week period, we went from 4.4 to 5.7. And we just felt that it was a little on the edge there for us to continue to have in-personal learning for high-needs students.

It was a really difficult decision. I was at the opening day of school October 1st, it was the first time many of these young people were in school since back in March. And making that decision was probably one of the hardest decisions I've had to make since the coronavirus pandemic began here.

BLITZER: Yes, it is so -- such a painful decision because you have to explain this to the parents of these kids, for example, with special needs, or kids who can't afford or don't have the internet, or don't even have access to a good lunch at home. It's so difficult. How do you do that?

WALSH: Well, you know, these kids need the physical therapy. They need the classroom learning because many of them, they have challenges, physical challenges and it's really complicated. It's hard for them, I think to understand, you know, they're back with their teacher. Even in the short period of time, they were in school, they made gains, they got back a lot of the gains they lost during the pandemic. So, it's complicated, but we have a structure here in Boston, where we're going to be providing many of those families with in-home services.

During the pandemic, we gave a -- we served over 2 million meals to our kids in our schools. We're currently doing that as well. We have a whole district now is remote. So, we still have food locations set up. And we're giving out thousands of meals a day to these kids because they get two meals a day in our schools.

BLITZER: And sometimes those are the only good meals, healthy meal these kids have access to. The city's positivity rate, as you point out, has jumped what, to 5.7 percent, did that spike take you by surprise?

WALSH: It took me by surprise. I was not expecting. We've seen an incline -- we've seen a steady increase here for about four weeks now from 2.8 percent to 4.4. So, I was anticipating, you know, maybe a couple percentage points here, maybe going to 4.8, 4.9 when Marty Martinez is my chief Health and Human Services who told me 5.7. I was taken aback.

And then we've watched the last several days here. We'll get another count in another day or so on another seven-day average. We're seeing these numbers go up, significant numbers that we haven't seen since May.

[17:45:00]

BLITZER: As you may have heard, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator says one reason for the spike we're seeing is that people have moved their social gatherings indoors. How big of a problem is that in Boston where the weather is getting a bit colder now?

WALSH: Well, what we're seeing now in Boston, we're seeing a lot of house parties both in and outdoors, but we're seeing many people there, 25, 30 people there, and that's a problem. We're seeing people being a little lackadaisical with their masks, maybe putting them down around their chin and not having their nose covered. That's a problem. The two of the areas that we're seeing the largest percentage of spikes in is people on 30 and under, obviously, and then the Latino community. And we're focusing on both those communities and how do we get information out to those.

The Latino community, sometimes it's the language barrier. Sometimes it's intergenerational families living in a home together. The younger people, quite honestly, they're doing it because the bars and restaurants, they're not what they used to seeing there, and it's causing an issue. I've been asking people now for the last several weeks here that what you do has impacts across the board, and right now the impacts we're seeing are with our young people not being able to go to school.

BLITZER: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, thanks very much for joining us. Good luck to you. Good luck to everyone in Boston. Thanks for joining us.

WALSH: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, new questions about voter intimidation as millions of Americans cast early their ballots. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:51:18]

BLITZER: We're following multiple breaking stories here in "The Situation Room". Thanks to early in mail-in voting, more than 52 million Americans already have cast ballots in the presidential election. That total jumped by more than a million this hour alone. Let's go to CNN's Pamela Brown. Pamela, that's a huge number. But I understand there are also some troubles. What are you hearing?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. Tonight, as we learn tens of millions of voters have already cast their ballots early, there is renewed scrutiny on voter intimidation and concerns about foreign adversaries using stolen data to influence the elections.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): With the election just 11 days away, more than 50 million Americans have already turned in their ballots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would rather get it done and overweight and do it early, that way I know I've voted.

BROWN (voice-over): And more than half of those votes come from CNN's 16 most competitive states. And one of the fiercest battlegrounds, North Carolina, over 2.5 million ballots have been cast. That's more than half of the total turnout in 2016. Millions of people choosing a voting in-person amid the coronavirus surge across the country.

Most states with mask mandate say they won't stop people without masks from voting. They'll be asked to fill out a ballot outside or in an isolated area. Some voters agree with the approach.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, it's important to accommodate them. And if they don't choose to wear a mask, but they still have the right to vote.

BROWN (voice-over): And there were new debate over what is considered voter intimidation. After filming voters at a Philadelphia polling station, the Trump campaign found at least three people dropping off more than one ballot each. What their attorney believes is just the tip of the iceberg and what could constitute unlawful absentee voting. But voters are allowed to drop off ballots for people who are disabled and state officials warned the videos might be interpreted as intimidation.

KATHY BOOCKVAR, PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Voter intimidation is illegal under state and federal law. And videotaping, you taking pictures of you is in -- without your consent is part of that.

BROWN (voice-over): Which the Trump campaign calls categorically absurd.

On election interference, intelligence officials confirm Russian hackers have stolen election data, but it's unclear how the information will be used. Official say Iran used voter information to send threatening e-mails that came to light this week.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Iran and Russia have taken specific actions to influence public opinion relating to our elections.

BROWN (voice-over): The federal government issued two new cyber security alerts, warning that state and local governments were targeted. But officials say election infrastructure has not been compromised. The intelligence community generally agrees that Russians interfered four years ago to help Trump win. Despite that, President Trump slammed the assessment again at last night's debate.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The one thing that's common to both of them, they both want you to lose, because there has been nobody tougher to Russia with -- between the sanctions, nobody tougher than me on Russia.

BROWN (voice-over): Intelligence experts agree stopping Russia should be the priority.

JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Russia has been interfering in the run up to our election already. And for my part at least, is far more serious threat than Iran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And we're learning more about 2020's first election ransomware attacks that hit Georgia. Officials in one Georgia county say the hacks affected a voter signature database and precinct maps, but security experts believe that the election infrastructure was not affected, that is important and that the attack was largely driven by profit, not politics. But, Wolf, ransomware attacks are a concern of security experts as we near Election Day, because they can sow chaos and confusion.

[17:55:04]

BLITZER: Yes, they can. All right, Pamela Brown reporting for us, thank you very much.

Coming up, President Trump campaigning right now in the must win state of Florida with just 11 days to go until the election. He's still talking about last night's debate. We'll give you an update when we've come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in 'The Situation Room". We're following breaking news on the coronavirus and the worsening second wave here in the United States. Tonight, nearly 224,000 Americans are dead.