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Mark Zuckerberg To Meet With Civil Rights Groups Over Ad Boycott; Arizona Reports Record High New COVID-19 Cases Deaths Today; Cases Spike In 37 States As Virus Surges Across Nation; California Reports More Than 6,000 New Cases In Single Day; Gold Star Mother Reacts To Russian Bounty Allegations. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired July 01, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECH REPORTER: Now obviously, if you look at top 100 brands that advertise on Facebook, only six - they always represent about 6 percent of Facebook's revenue according to Pathmatics which is a market intelligence firm that highlights how difficult it's going to be for this campaign to really exert a lot of financial pressure on mark Zuckerberg?

And it could be even harder especially when you think about the way Facebook has structured Zuckerberg is the CEO and can't be fired because of the way that he holds shares of the company.

So hopefully you know with the civil rights group groups meeting with Zuckerberg highs in coming weeks perhaps they may be able to address some of the concerns and push for changes at Facebook writ large, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Yes. Brian, thank you very much. Hello once again it's top of the hour and I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks for sticking with us. At least 19 states are facing reality and hitting the pause button slowing or changing plans to re open because of the dangerous trends that are taking place in much of the country.

In California today we expect Governor Gavin Newsom to tighten restrictions further in the state as they see a major rise in cases that could have them soon passing New York for the most cases in the country.

Now as we speak 37 states are now reporting a rise in number of cases is getting worse and worse only two were trending in the correct direction. When you see this you can completely understand then why Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday "Clearly we are not in total control".

Take Florida seeing big spikes and because of that bars are being shut down some beaches as well but the Governor is also declaring that he doesn't plan to go any further. CNN's Randi Kaye, she is in Riviera Beach, Florida with much more on this. Randi what more you're hearing from the Governor?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Okay. First of all we're just getting the new numbers for today. We're seeing more than 6500 new Coronavirus cases today. The number is 6563 that's up about 500 or so from yesterday certainly not the direction we want to be moving in.

The Governor still saying that he doesn't plan any statewide beach closures for the holiday weekend no mask mandate statewide either. He says that he doesn't plan to shut down the state again either.

He is blaming young people for the rising number of cases and their socialization. We wanted to ask him about the fact that he's also been blaming the media. He's been very critical of the media about the fact that the media said Florida could be just like New York.

So the Governor demanded an apology about that. He said that it's a partisan narrative. So we caught up with him yesterday at a press conference to finally ask him about that. I asked him if given the spike in numbers here if he wants to take that comment back and does the State of Florida do anything wrong? And here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R-FL): May and early June where our best testing numbers very low test results in terms of percent positive. You know obviously you've seen a higher percentage test positive now. But just to understand some of those states were testing at 60, 70 percent.

So you know we've been now 10 to 15. We obviously want to get that back down in the single digits to compare us what we're doing that --?

KAYE: If I could just follow up - I can just quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So you have it there. I tried to follow up Kate but his handlers shut me down pretty quickly and called on another reporter wasn't the Governor who called on a reporter. It was actually the handler himself.

So what I wanted to ask the Governor about was the positivity rate because he says that in the state it's 10 to 15 percent and that is just not true. Even the numbers today they are at 15 percent but Miami-Dade County's positivity rate just yesterday Kate was more than 22 percent.

And in the last 7 days Miami-Dade has seen 10,000 new cases statewide about 50,000 new cases so clearly not as rosy picture as the Governor is trying to paint there.

BOLDUAN: And over and over you hear from local officials we hear from folks in Florida they would like to hear more direction and more mandates coming from the Governor. And in Florida Governors elsewhere we just heard from another man in a different part of Florida. She would like to have a unified message especially on certain things. Thanks Randi.

Vice President Mike Pence is heading to Arizona today to meet with the Governor there as that state is dealing with the devastating surge of Coronavirus cases as well. Take a look at how cases have continued to soar?

Over the last few weeks and just today the state is reporting another record high number of both cases and the death rate. The Governor has said that the state's reopening plans are now on pause. CNN Correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro is joining me now. He's in Arizona tracking this. Evan, the Governor says that they're going to be briefing reporters later today. Any word on what you're expecting to hear?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kate, as you mentioned the situation here is frankly increasingly dire. Just in the past hour the Health Department in Arizona said the virus is now widespread in this state and what that's led the Governor to do is to re close some things that had been opened. Things like movie theaters, large gatherings, bars and gyms.

[12:05:00]

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: And behind me is one of about a dozen or so locations of the mountainside gym chain here in the area and they have decided not to heed that gubernatorial order to close. And as you can see maybe I'd hope you get out behind me people are actually inside they're working out.

The owner of this gym chain has said he is going to sue the State of Arizona over those rules and while this gym is remained open people have come and worked out.

BOLDUAN: Evan, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. So right now there are more than 44,000 new infections then they were reported in the United States Tuesday. That is getting very close to the country's record high so far of just over 45,000 reported cases and that was last week.

One former top health official says though that the new cases that we're seeing they may be seriously under reported and that the United States could already be at well over 1000 cases a day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARK MCCLELLAN, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: I think Jim we're already over 100,000 per day. Remember a lot of cases are going undetected because not everybody can get testing and according to CDC that total number of cases in the U. S. maybe as much as 10 times as what we've actually been measuring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That's terrifying to think about. Let me bring in Sanjay Gupta for more on this. It's good to see you Sanjay. If it is under reported like McClellan says there I mean what could that actually mean?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean this has been a problem from the start Kate. I mean I remember talking to you about this in March and you know we weren't doing good testing then at that point sort of surprising I think the people.

And we've never gotten ahead of this. So I think what this was based on the CDC report that said we may be undercounting by about tenfold. So you look at the number on the screen 2.6 million people roughly who have been infected. You know they think it could be well over 20 million because just the lack of testing.

What could it mean? Well, it means that this was more widespread than we have been able to confirm. Number one that's the bad news. If there's any good news in this Kate, it's that if you look at the fatality ratio when this is hard to talk about right because you're talking a number of deaths over number of infections?

If you dramatically increase the number of infections from 2.6 million to over 20 million it does bring down the fatality ratio. How likely this is to cause someone to die? We still don't have a good idea of just how lethal this virus is? It's been all over the place in different parts of the world. But this is clearly a much more widespread virus then I think we've realized up until recently.

BOLDUAN: And if we can just throw up a graphic - I want to show everyone some graphics which really drive home kind of what has been happening in the last month? You see June 1st compared to July 1st where we are today?

I mean the shift in how many states are seeing a rise in cases is really startling. In putting it together how many states across the country have seen a major rising cases in just the past month. It's really scary I mean when you see these maps. When you see all of the cases that we're looking at and you see all of that red?

I don't know? Sanjay what do you think because I got to tell you it feels like we're back to April talking about what was happening? And what the warnings were in could be happening in New York City and it's still in it - and now this is happening out west?

DR. GUPTA: Yes. No I mean so many things go through the mind Kate seeing those images. I mean, first of all I would be hoping that I was going to have a different conversation with you going into July 4th weekend about this and we're not.

I mean, the curves are going up not down. I look at those maps and I guess as a doctor I think of the country as a human body. And I saw localized sort of problems back at a month ago and now I see widespread problems. If it was a cancer can like the cancer has metastasized.

I think that we need to have aggressive treatment and again just as you would treat a patient where the country needs to be treated right now. I think one of the most important points Kate is that we've sort of thought of this as a binary thing either we're open or we're shut, close down and then when things started to open they opened and earnest.

What I think Dr. Fauci and others have been saying for a long time is there is a really reasonable middle ground here. It does involve masks. It does involve physical distancing. It does involve for certain very high risk situations indoor large clusters of unmasked people as an obvious worst case scenario situation for super spreading.

So life is going to have to be different for a while but it could be a lot more like normal than I think people realize. If we abide by some of those things, if we abide by nothing it's going to be abnormal for longer.

BOLDUAN: And Sanjay, you mentioned masks and that and that's why - I just spoke with the - we just interweaved the Mayor of a smallish town Milton, Florida. And she'd tried to mandate face coverings for the city seeing the data and seeing kind of the writing on the wall.

[12:10:00]

BOLDUAN: The City Council, the city overruled her inch and I asked her why? Why are they opposed? And she said for one thing people were coming in and said they don't believe the science of face coverings. If that is where the country still is I'm concerned what that means?

DR. GUPTA: Yes, you know Kate just having done this for so long now. I would find it hard to believe that people don't recognize the potential benefit. You know I do think this is just become a political issue. I mean in a state like Florida where the numbers are growing the way that they're growing what other tools do you have in the tool belt to really take the fuel out of that fire?

Masks are a big one and we can show you. I mean you know some of these images you know take a look at what happens as the virus is actually coming out of the nose and the mouth? How far it can potentially spread?

It's significant and I think you know I always thought to myself Kate if this virus were actually visible right you can't see it but for actually visible and you saw coming out of people's noses and mouths and not really jumping more than 6 feet. We would all behave a certain way. We would all just keep our distance and wear masks it would be obvious.

Kate, I will go out on a - and say this right now in places like Florida they think that they still have the decision within their you know they can make the decision about masks. After a while I don't know that they're going to be able to make that decision anymore.

The virus will make the decision for them you know because it's going to just be as obvious as these numbers go up. So there is the virus coming out what if you could visualize like that Kate? And then let's put a mask on this model and see what happens? Still it's not perfect but look the idea of you being able to spread it to people around you becomes greatly reduced.

So you're trying to do you know we're scared of this virus understandably so but it's actually its a little stranded genetic material. It's not even alive; it needs a host to live. You can't kill it because it's not alive all you have to do is not be such a such a willing host to this virus which is what the masks are all about.

BOLDUAN: When I - as I see you kind of really presenting that video which I think is so helpful and important. What I see when I think when I see that is that's not limiting. That's empowering when you can - when you are in power to control the spread of germs you are empowering your community to live.

You're empowering your community to reopen. You're empowering yourselves to be able to go about more normal life. It gets back to kind of the messaging from the top. I got to get your take and I and I'm going to try to make it not political because I don't want to - I never want to draw you into something political.

But the President's going to Mount Rushmore on Friday for a fireworks show and fireworks celebration for July 4th. There's going to be no social distancing that's going to be enforced. Masks are going to be provided but not required. Here is how the Governor Kristi Noem she talked about this listen.

DR. GUPTA: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KRISTI NOEM, (R-SD): We told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home. But those who want to come and join us we'll be giving out free face masks if they choose to wear one. But we won't be social distancing or asking them to come be ready to celebrate to enjoy the freedoms and liberties that we have in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: It sounds like she's suggesting that not following public health safety guidelines as somehow patriotic. What do you say that?

DR. GUPTA: Kate, I think you know me for a long time. I try to stay very steady on these things that are that's just completely wrong headed. I can't find anything in those recommendations that make sense from a health standpoint.

If the conversation we're look, I'm not that worried about getting the virus. I'm willing to take the risk is sort of what she was suggesting? What if the conversation where are you worried about giving the virus because that's really what this is about to your earlier point?

If I say hey look are you worried that you might give the virus to other people? You know then it is an empathy check, really you know. I live in Georgia as you know Kate and I encourage my family my friends to wear masks. I can tell you still walking around town with masks on you still get funny looks.

People still look at you like you're crazy person for wearing a mask. And I'm thinking to myself I'm wearing this mask for you primarily. And yet they still look at you like you're crazy and I think when the South Dakota Governor make statements like that unfortunately it gives that wrongheaded argument that wrongheaded way of thinking more fuel. And after a while it's not going to be a choice. We're going to have to do this. What else are we going to do?

BOLDUAN: That's exactly right. You're going to have to shut down and stay in your house again which nobody wants to do. Great to see Sanjay, thank you so much.

DR. GUPTA: You too Kate, thank you.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us after California hits a record high in COVID-19 cases the state is now seeing hospitalizations jump as well. What went wrong in that state that was really the first and most aggressive to shut down?

Plus, the President spends the morning on Twitter, tweeting that Joe Biden defending Confederate monuments and also what he's calling the latest hoax against him.

[12:15:00]

BOLDUAN: What the President isn't talking about the pandemic ravaging the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: More restrictions may be coming for people in California. Governor Newsom is expected to announce something today as cases continue to soar across the state. Just look at that, yesterday there were more than 6000 new infections. The state's second highest daily reports since the outbreak even began. Hospitalizations ICU rates are also hitting all time highs as well.

Joining me right now for a check in on where things are and where things are headed? California State Senator Richard Pan. Thank you very much for being here and I appreciate your time. California seems to be ahead of the rest of the country. One of the first states to have confirmed cases the first to have a state wide state home order as to what went wrong?

STATE SEN. RICHARD PAN (D-CA): Well, we came together to flatten the curve. We were the first states to have a stay at home order and people stayed at home.

[12:20:00]

PAN: But then I think people got complacent. We didn't see in California what happened in New York or Detroit or New Orleans? Memorial Day weekend came up we started releasing our guidelines to reopen things. And I think people than thought well the virus maybe it's going away and importantly the virus did not. And so we're now seeing an increase in cases.

BOLDUAN: Why do you think folks in California didn't - I don't know didn't take the threat of infection seriously enough?

PAN: Well, I think that they were looking around and they saw everything looks pretty good. Our hospitals weren't overflowing. People saw that the weather was getting better. There are a variety of different things that happened as well.

So I would also point out though unfortunately what happened not only in California but across the country is that we've unfortunately politicized the messages about controlling this virus and in fact instead of having public health leaders up in front delivering the messages to the people about what we need to do?

We had politicians doing that. And with that I think unfortunately a lot of the messaging took a political lens. We here in California we had protesters who protested not only to stay at home orders but are opposed to mask wearing. They're out there harassing and intimidating public health officers.

And we also then had local officials who because of perhaps ideological or political reasons also did not support or did not actually want to enforce guidelines that were necessary to prevent the spread of this disease.

BOLDUAN: So this brings to the actual conversation I've had with a lot of local leaders, Mayors and the like who say that a unified message coming from the top, the very top from the White House is something that has been lacking and it has been a problem for them.

If President Trump would put on a mask today do you think that would change behavior in California tomorrow?

PAN: Well, certainly it would help but more importantly he needs to put his public health people to be in front talking about what we need to do? And he needs to support them for example the CDC has been completely silenced.

Experts at the CDC who spoke out early are now not permitted to talk to the press right? We have Dr. Bricks and Dr. Fauci but they tend to play second fiddle to the President. And unfortunately even in states we don't see our public health leaders being the leaders of conversations about this virus.

We generally see politicians being the main spokespeople. We need to change that direction. We need to have public health leaders talking about what the science is? What the recommendations are? We need to stop politicizing this endemic.

BOLDUAN: You know LA County alone now has reported more than 100,000 cases that are more cases than 43 states. When you have a service like that what do you think of Governor Newsom's response to this latest surge right? He's closing down bars and nightspots in certain counties is that enough to turn this around?

PAN: Certainly those are very important steps. Those steps are important not only because of what they do specifically but also because it sends a message to the people that we need to take this seriously. This disease is spreading.

But ultimately it comes down to the decision of every individual Californian and every individual American right? We know what we need to do? So people need to wear masks. They need to keep the physical distance when they're outside especially with people who are not in their household.

We know what we need to do? So if you care about your fellow American then wears a mask. You sure you just keep your physical distance. If you are patriotic Americans, if you really care about your country you need to do the same. We're coming up on Independence Day right?

When we celebrate the freedoms our country and our independence that independence came about because Americans came together to protect each other. And so what I would say on Independence Day is give Americans their freedom by doing the things you need to do?

Wear your mask, keep that physical distance, and don't join gatherings where you can spread this disease. Let's be sure we have freedom from this disease. Let's be sure we protect each other and we need our public health officials to be up front educating us and what we need to do to stop this pandemic?

BOLDUAN: Mr. Pan, thank you so much. Still ahead for us reports of Russia's alleged bounty plot against American service members hitting military families especially hard. We're going to ask one Gold Star mother what she'd like to hear from President Trump right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

BOLDUAN: President Trump has spent much of his morning on Twitter again today tweeting or re-tweeting something like 16 times before 8:00 this morning. He is calling the Intel that that claims Russia paid bounties offered bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers a hoax, created to hurt him and the Republican Party. A hoax created by journalists, he says.

He also spent a lot of time tweeting his own post this morning including this where he uses a racial slur once again against Elizabeth Warren.