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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Unpublished White House Task Force Report Shows 18 States in virus "Red Zone" Should Roll Back Reopenings; Clashes Escalate Over Mandatory Mask Rules. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired July 17, 2020 - 16:30   ET

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

[16:30:01]

DR. ASHISH JHA, DIRECTOR, HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: So, again, it's a very science-based document coming out of the task force. I was thrilled to see it. And then, of course, I was puzzled that it is both being kept as a secret, and that governors are really defying it or just ignoring it.

TAPPER: Take a listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci this morning calling on local governments to enforce the wearing of masks in public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I would urge the leaders, the local political and other leaders in states and cities and towns to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Do you agree that it should be on state and local officials, or is this Fauci acknowledging that President Trump is just simply never going to provide the leadership on this issue that is needed?

JHA: Well, you know, I'm not going to -- like, it's hard to know what Dr. Fauci was thinking. I will say his recommendation certainly is right on that we need people to be wearing masks. And there is a certain element of local leadership and mayors and governors. Of course, the whole thing would be helped by our president and other federal leaders all encouraging people to wear masks.

But, barring that, I think he's completely right. Political leaders, civil society leaders, should all be encouraging pushing people to wear masks. Because that's one important way to bring this virus level down.

TAPPER: It's odd, though, there have been moves by some governors to block or restrict mayors or county officials from enacting mask regulations. In fact, just this week, Georgia's governor, Republican Brian Kemp, is suing the mayor of Atlanta for a number of reasons having to do with regulations. But it includes her mandate of masks.

I talked to one mayor yesterday, the mayor of Savannah, who said he's fighting the virus with one hand and the governor with the other.

JHA: Yes, you know, Jake, let me tell you, there is no other country in the world where they are debating masks. Masks work. They just work. They save lives. They reduce infections. They just work. There's nobody else in the world debating this thing, not in any serious way.

And the second, the idea that the governor would stop a mayor from doing what we know works is baffling to me. Like, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and leadership would be do what the science says, follow the evidence, and do what is necessary to protect your own people. And why Governor Kemp is not doing that is certainly beyond me.

TAPPER: We've invited Governor Kemp to come on and explain this to the American people. He has so far said no to every single one of our requests.

Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you so much for your time today and your expertise. We appreciate it.

Without a national mandate, a new leader is emerging in the effort to get Americans to wear masks. Who is it? We'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:37:28]

TAPPER: The national lead, in his lawsuit against mask regulations in Atlanta, Republican governor Brian Kemp of Georgia said that the city's mandate requiring masks would undermine economic growth if businesses that violated the order would be forced to shut down.

But, if mask mandates hurt businesses, that would be news to a growing number of national retailers. Familiar brands such as Home Depot and Lowe's and Target and CVS, all of them rolled out new policies requiring masks in the last 24 hours.

As CNN's Tom Foreman reports, where President Trump and various governors are failing to lead, well, corporate America is stepping up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no pandemic!

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the fury over face masks, the confrontations are growing fast, even as the business community is rocked by declining sales, layoffs, and angry investors.

Now, some big names are saying enough. Walmart is requiring everyone to wear masks in its more than 5,000 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Target is doing the same, and Walgreens too.

Home Depot and Lowe's new mask mandates roll out next week. So, are Apple, Best Buy, Costco, CVS, and in all 9,000 of its U.S. locations, Starbucks is saying if you want that latte, you must mask up.

KEVIN JOHNSON, CEO, STARBUCKS: It's just avid and it's going to help us all reduce the spread of COVID, and that's the right thing to do.

FOREMAN: The movement is intriguing because President Trump has cited concerns about business time and again as he has pushed to reopen the economy and shoved away the idea of any government requirement for masks. Some of his closest allies are at least embracing the science and favor of them now.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I'm here to tell you, put it on.

FOREMAN: But others are still vigorously resisting.

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): I refuse to sit back and watch as disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens.

FOREMAN: Georgia's governor won't order a statewide mask rule and is forbidding towns from enforcing their own, citing the flailing economy is one reason to not impose any impediments to consumers. He is suing the mayor of Atlanta for allegedly violating his order by requiring masks in the city.

She tested positive for COVID and is flabbergasted.

MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), ATLANTA, GEORGIA: This is not a political stance. This is about the lives of people. And the people in my city are dying.

FOREMAN: For government, the issue remains complicated. In Utah, a county meeting about trying to send kids back to school erupted when unmasked people packed the room.

[16:40:00]

TANNER AINGE, COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, UTAH COUNTY COMMISSION: I'm going to suspend the rules and I'm going to make a motion to continue this entire meeting to another date.

(YELLING)

AINGE: Hey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: But for business, the way forward seems a whole lot more clear. Indeed, just today, 21 CEOs of huge companies from Nordstrom to IKEA, to Petco signed an open letter on CNN.com asking governors coast to coast to require masks for everyone, indeed to take the step that the businessman and the president and his pals so far have refused to embrace -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Tom Foreman, thank you so much.

And tune in tomorrow night for a CNN special report, "THE PANDEMIC & THE PRESIDENT" where my team and I investigate what might happen next in America's losing battle against the coronavirus. That's tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m., only on CNN. Coming up, an exclusive look inside a Russian lab that the Kremlin

claims is close to finding a coronavirus vaccine, but there is some reason, of course, to be skeptical of the Kremlin's claims.

Stay with us.

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[16:45:18]

TAPPER: In our world lead today: You're looking right now at exclusive footage from inside a Moscow lab that the Kremlin claims is close to developing a successful coronavirus vaccine, emphasis on claims.

This video was given to CNN by Russian officials after the U.S., U.K. and Canada all accused Russian cyber-spies of hacking vaccine research.

CNN's Matthew Chance takes us inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Russia, the search for a coronavirus vaccine is a global race.

And it's at this research lab in Moscow that it hopes to win. Access to the Gamaleya Institute is tightly controlled. No CNN cameras were allowed through these doors. But they did give us exclusive footage of the sensitive scientific work taking place inside, a unique glimpse of Russia's rapid push for a coronavirus vaccine.

They even sent recorded comments from their director, who, controversially, injected himself before human trials officially began.

ALEXANDER GINTSBURG, DIRECTOR, GAMALEYA INSTITUTE (through translator): It has become a task of unprecedented complexity. In a very short time, we have to create a vaccine against this disease.

CHANCE: But that need for speed in Russia means corners may have been cut. Russian soldiers, all volunteers, according to the Defense Ministry, were used in the first phase of human trials.

And now allegations, denied by the Kremlin, that Russian spies have been hacking U.S., British and Canadian labs to steal their coronavirus secrets, allegations we put to the head of the organization funding much Russia's coronavirus research.

(on camera): Russia desperately needs to develop and wants to develop a vaccine. Isn't that one reason why the Kremlin would try and get ahead by stealing other nations' vaccine secrets?

KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: Well, first of all, Matthew, we are very surprised by timing of this, because, basically, it happens the next day after we announced that we expect approval of our vaccine in August.

CHANCE: Sure, but how do you explain that extraordinary speed? I mean, other countries are working flat out. Why would Russia be so far ahead? I mean, there are allegations or concerns that this country has been cutting corners when it comes to its research.

DMITRIEV: Well, we have lots of infrastructure for vaccine development. And once again, we will be the first ones because of our scientists, and because of the research we have done to date.

CHANCE (voice-over): Lack of transparency and no access to the lab means it's hard to know where Moscow actually is with its vaccine.

But with or without the help of its hackers, it seems Russia is going all out for a quick result.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well, Jake, Russia doubling down then on its denials that it hacked U.S. labs and those of its closest allies.

But it is saying, remember, that it has an urgent need for a desperate cure or a desperate vaccine for coronavirus. It's got more than 750,000 people infected with the condition, at least officially. The real number, Jake, could be much higher than that.

TAPPER: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Joining us now to discuss, Democratic Congressman Max Rose of New York, who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

What do you know about Russian hackers targeting organizations that are trying to develop a vaccine for coronavirus?

REP. MAX ROSE (D-NY): Well, it's certainly happening.

And we can't look at this issue in a silo, though, Jake. Over and over and over again over the years, Russia has been using non-state actors to fight the Western world in an asymmetric fashion. As H.R. McMaster said, you either fight the Western world and fight America asymmetrically, or stupidly, and Russia has embraced that, whether it is shooting down an airliner, interfering in our elections, attempting to steal vaccines, interfering in other elections, engaging in a chemical attack on British soil.

Each and every time, they have said, well, that didn't have anything to do with us. That wasn't us. And, in reality, it was a non-state actor inextricably tied to the Russian government.

And, in this case, I see no different. We're entering into a phase of vaccine nationalism. This is the most important resource that anyone can get their hands on. And I consider this an act of terrorism. And it is yet another reason why I believe Russia should be declared a

state sponsor of terrorism by the State Department. And I have introduced legislation in the House with Republican leadership in the Senate by Senator Cory Gardner calling on the State Department to consider doing this.

[16:50:10]

TAPPER: That's interesting.

We should note also that the Russian hacking group thought to be behind this attack is the same group believed to have accessed, hacked into the DNC systems before the 2016 election.

I guess some people might say, it's the same hacking group? How are they still doing this? How is this still happening four years later?

ROSE: Right.

That's a fantastic question. And Russia -- it is no excuse anymore for Russia to say, well, that's not the Russian state. This is not the way the Russian government works any longer. Again, they're evolving to a new form of warfare.

And that's why I think that we have to take this so seriously, with our actively partnering with non-state groups. What's clear as day, though, is that this administration should not be playing geopolitical footsie with them, inviting them into the G7, withdrawing from NATO, over and over and over again saying, well, they must have better intentions, there must be something that we don't know.

In reality, what we should be doing is following up with diplomatic action, additional sanctions, the end of any and all foreign aid, and making sure that we're leading with strength.

They are, at this point, moving more in line with being an enemy than a friend.

TAPPER: And lastly, Congressman, give us an update on where you are on pushing for Congress to investigate these intelligence reports that a division of the Russian GRU was offering a bounty to Taliban- affiliated terrorists in Afghanistan to kill American and British troops.

Where are you on that call for an investigation?

ROSE: Well, and it is very important that we also look at that issue, in line with this effort to steal information about vaccines.

It is absolutely inexcusable for the administration to say that, oh, we didn't know about it, or the president wasn't briefed. That's no excuse. Why was it not elevated up to the president's purview?

And either way, why has no action been taken? Our soldiers are still out there. Afghanistan is complicated enough, without Russian bounties. Believe you me, I know. I was an infantry platoon leader there.

We have the lives of our soldiers on the line. And when they took an oath, we also took an oath to them that we will have their backs. And we have to do something about this Russian bounty issue, get to the bottom of whether the administration knew, but also finally declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and hold them accountable for their actions.

TAPPER: And we should note that you are a veteran yourself, sir.

Congressman Max Rose, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

Coming up next: videos that activists claim show mysterious federal agents detaining American protesters in suspicious ways.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:57:40]

TAPPER: New questions today about how the federal government may be dealing with protesters. It all stems from viral videos out of Oregon, where there have been violent protests. The videos show masked camouflaged men with patches bearing the world's police detaining individuals and putting them inside unmarked vans.

CNN's Josh Campbell joins me now live to try to get to the bottom of this.

Josh, what are you hearing from federal law enforcement agencies about all this?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, the key point, Jake, is that they are speaking at all.

I can tell you, we reached out to them this morning on this story. And hours and hours went by. We reached out to multiple law enforcement agencies asking if these were their officers. We heard nothing, until just moments ago from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, saying that these officers were theirs.

Now, this stemmed from this video that we saw that was from a bystander, where you see tactical agents rolling up. They arrest a person and put him into this unmarked vehicle. You have people around him saying that, who are you? Asking them to identify themselves.

Again, this caused many questions, this controversial video about possible overreach and overstepping by police, including one U.S. senator who called this authoritarianism.

Now, just moments ago, we did hear from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who said in a statement -- I will read it for you -- that: "CBP agents had information indicating that the person in the video was suspected of assaults against federal agents or destruction of property. Now, once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob moved towards their location. For everyone's safety, CBP agents quickly moved the suspect to a safer location for further questioning."

So we're finally getting an indication, Jake, of who these agents were, again, a lot of time passing. Now, this follows, in Portland, where we have seen so many of these protests continue, including some of them turning violent.

We also know that President Trump has ordered federal resources into the area, and so, again, more controversy there about policing in Portland and this viral video that continues to garner headlines -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Josh Campbell, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Tune in to CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" Sunday. My guests include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, and Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. That's at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern.

Our coverage on CNN continues right now.

Have a great weekend. I will see you Sunday morning.

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