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White House Refuses to Denounce Confederate Flag; British Athlete Says Police Racially Profiled Her; U.S. CDC to Release New Guidance on Reopening Schools; Composer Ennio Morricone Dies at 91. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 07, 2020 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I am Paula Newton.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, "really not good." That's how America's top doctor describes as states struggle to bring the coronavirus under control.
Meantime, more than 6 million Australians are set to be sealed off from the rest of the country as officials take drastic action to control an outbreak of the virus there.
And in Hong Kong, books that violate the new national security law will be pulled from school shelves.
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NEWTON: Some medical experts say the U.S. is in freefall as the coronavirus spirals further out of control. More than 3 million Americans have been infected and more than 130,000 lives lost. Cases are surging weeks after states began to reopen and people started to go back to restaurants and other businesses.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the president's task force warns that this is just the beginning.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We are still knee deep in the first wave of this. And I would say this would not be considered a wave it was a surge or a resurgence of infection.
Superimposed upon a baseline of the European Union as an entity, it went up and then came down to baseline. Now they're having little blips, as you might expect, as they try to reopen. We went up, never came down to baseline and now are surging back up. So it's a serious situation that we have to address immediately.
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NEWTON: Here's a look at that. The U.S. compared to other countries, they peaked and went down, look at that green line. The U.S. keeps going higher with one quarter of the world's total infections and deaths. Florida is one of the states leading the way in new infections. Some hospitals are overwhelmed and about to hit capacity.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking at the statistics and they are very grave. Every single metric is up.
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NEWTON: The metric is up. The Miami mayor is shutting down a lot of businesses, which may have reopened too soon. Randi Kaye picks up our story from the Florida coast.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Florida, we are now seeing more than 200,000 cases of coronavirus. Miami-Dade County in southern Florida, one of the hardest hit counties which may explain why it's rolling back some of its opening plans. Are closing businesses such as restaurants will now be closed to any dining. You can only do takeout and delivery starting on Wednesday in Miami Dade County. Also, gyms, party venues and short-term vacation rental also shutting down as of Wednesday. Miami-Dade County has accounted for 24 percent of the more than 200,000 cases of coronavirus in the state.
And the positivity rate there is 26 percent. Well above the 10 percent threshold that the state would like to see. They'd like to see that go down to single digits. And still more warnings for Miami-Dade County. In the last two weeks hospitalizations have gone up 88 percent and the ICU beds have gone up 114 percent. And the use of ventilators has gone up hundred 19 percent.
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KAYE: And one other note, Jackson Health, the largest health system in the Miami area, now reporting and 83 percent uptick in COVID-19 patients in just the last two weeks. So the beaches are supposed to open on Tuesday as well in that area. That does seem to still be the plan. But if there isn't social distancing, the mayor of Miami-Dade said he will shut them down.
I'm Randi Kaye, CNN, Singer Island, Florida. Back to you.
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NEWTON: Arizona was one of the early states to reopen. Now it has topped 100,000 cases. Hospital beds there are filling up. The mayor of Phoenix told CNN the reopening was just too much too soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR KATE GALLEGO (D-AZ), PHOENIX: Bars and nightclubs were open with no masks, so people were out drinking free champagne and celebrating. Casinos opened, really dense indoor environments where people were not likely to wear masks.
The spread began with people in the 20- to 44-year-old age bracket, so young people were out having a good time, not worrying about COVID-19. But now it has hit heartbreaking levels. Today my county reported a positivity rate of 28.8 percent.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Wow.
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NEWTON: The mayor urged the federal government to make more coronavirus tests available. She said some were very sick but still had to wait until 8 hours in the searing heat to get tests.
There are calls for more statewide restrictions after Dallas County saw a 16 percent increase in virus related hospitalizations on Monday alone. The county has reported more than 1,000 new cases every day for the past 4 days. A local judge is urging the governor to make some changes or at least let local authorities do so. The judge is pushing to close theaters, gyms, day cares and other public spaces and limit indoor gatherings to 10 people.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden, she, too, has now tested positive for coronavirus. She says her husband and one of her children are also infected. They decided to get tested because her husband was sleeping more than usual.
She says it's scary because they say they did everything right and everything they were supposed to do to stay safe.
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MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D-GA), ATLANTA: I'm still in a state of shock because I don't have any idea how we were exposed. We've all been very careful. My kids have been careful. So I'm stunned.
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NEWTON: Dr. Anne Rimoin is professor at the UCLA Department of Epidemiology. She joins me now.
You just heard the mayor there, completely stunned. I'm sure that mirrors the experience of so many people around the world and in the United States. There's been a lot of info I want to ask you about, so let's get through it.
First up, "The New York Times" analyzed government data that shows Latino and African American residents are three times more likely to get infected than whites.
Do you think there is a reckoning here in public health? In a lot of the stats that we have seen, this is not just a U.S. phenomenon.
ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Racial disparities are a major issue in terms of public health. And we all have to address them and they are playing out right here before our very eyes when we look at the stats related to coronavirus.
You know, we have all sorts of reasons; could be social and economic status, access to care. We have so many issues but the data is telling us the truth. The truth is that populations here in the United States, we have very different capacities to get care and be treated.
I think this is a real issue and a stark reminder of where we stand in terms of racial inequality.
NEWTON: Yes, stark is the way to describe it. A new study from Spain. Other studies like this and this one points to the fact that immunity is incomplete, transitory and just might go away after a few weeks.
Does this surprise you and what are the implications for trying to get that all-important herd immunity if this is true?
RIMOIN: This is an excellent study, Spain was hit very hard with coronavirus. These results are very interesting. And they point to this issue of waning antibody response. Antibodies are not the only story when it comes to immunity.
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RIMOIN: We also think about T cell responses. And immunity is very complicated. But it does underscore the point that, A, even in a country where you have a large epidemic, really most people do not have any evidence of previous infection and/or what we might consider to be potential for immunity.
The second thing is that the study highlighted that health care workers and nursing homes were hit very hard with a higher prevalence in these populations, which validates what we think is going to happen.
It also reminds us that we are all at risk and that very few of us, even under the best of circumstances, are likely to have any immunity. So we all have to wear masks and social distance and we all need to be taking precautions to reduce spread of the virus.
NEWTON: It was a sobering study. As you said, in terms of how thorough it was. So much nuance, a letter written by more than 200 scientists, pointing out to the WHO that it is not just the droplets from when you cough or sneeze or speak loudly but that the virus is actually airborne for longer than we would have imagined in enclosed spaces.
What are the implications of that? RIMOIN: There has been a lot of discussion about large droplets, small droplets, airborne, aerosolized and the bottom line is that the virus is easily spread. And we all need to do our best.
When we say stay 6 feet apart, that's just a guideline because what we think is an average of how far a droplet can generally spread but there are many viruses such as measles that can stay in the air for a lengthy period of time.
And we are finding out this is likely to be true and many scenarios with this particular virus. What this means, the precautions that need to be taken are thinking about air ventilation, making sure -- and I'll go back to this -- people are wearing masks and doing the very best they can to social distance.
A lot of this is just debate over how far a droplet can go. But we know wearing a mask will make a major difference in terms of being able to produce spread. It's all about keeping your droplets to yourself.
It's really true. If we can just reduce potential for spread, that's something everyone can do. We can all wear masks and that will -- there's a study from the University of Washington that just came out, that suggests that of 95 percent of the population wore masks, they would be able to prevent another 20,000 to 25,000 deaths in the coming months. That's a big deal.
NEWTON: It is empowering, despite all of the studies that we have seen so far. We got through a lot of stuff there, thank you for joining us from Los Angeles.
Meantime, Australia is taking drastic measures that it has not seen in decades. Locking down the state of Victoria after an outbreak of coronavirus in Melbourne.
Plus, a prominent activist in Hong Kong is speaking out about the new national security law, just as the city clamps down even harder on dissent. Our interview with Joshua Wong is ahead.
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NEWTON: Australia's closing the border between its two most popular states for the first time in 100 years to try and contain an outbreak of the virus in Melbourne. The premier of New South Wales says that their border with Victoria will close just before midnight Tuesday to try and slow an overwhelming load of community based cases. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vast majority of cases that New South Wales and other states were experiencing were from overseas travelers on direct contacts. What's happening now in Victoria is very different.
What's happening now in Victoria is the overwhelming majority I think infect all of the cases that the premier just announced today are from community transmission. This is unprecedented in Australia, that is why the decision of the New South Wales government is unprecedented.
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NEWTON: Anna Coren joins me now from Hong Kong with more and I've got to say in terms of relative numbers, it the state that I'm in right now in Georgia there are thousands of new cases per day. They are they're dealing with hundreds and yet they want these drastic measures and these lockdowns.
What is informing them?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, you have to remember that Australia thought they had the coronavirus under control. They were extremely aggressive in locking down the borders from the get-go back in March.
They put in strict quarantine measures, anyone returning, any Australian residents returning back into country, had to spent 14 days in hotel government quarantine. So Australia has taken this extremely seriously.
And then you have this outbreak in Victoria, in the capital, Victoria, in Melbourne. And that is causing huge alarm. They thought they had record cases yesterday. Today, the government released the latest numbers, 191 new cases today. And that is causing great alarm, right across Australia.
You heard from the New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian just then. She is going to lock down the border between New South Wales and Victoria. This is the 2 most populous states in Australia, this is going to be a logistical challenge.
You are talking about a border that stretches more than 2,000 kilometers with 55 border crossings but they are not mucking around, they are putting 650 police officers along this border along with 350 military.
So obviously they don't want Victorians coming into New South Wales and spreading the virus. As we know in Melbourne, there are at least 9 housing commission towers that are in complete lockdown, which have 3,000 residents inside.
Those residents haven't been able to get out for days, these are mainly people of lower social economic, they are migrants, they are refugees. Many of them don't speak English.
So there have been some problems with that situation, with food and supply delays. A lot of complaints really, coming from that. But as we are hearing from state officials, this is a necessity. They are not singling these people out. But they are concerned that these towers were going to be superspreaders -- Paula. NEWTON: Yes. It is really startling to just see the difference in the
response, as you point out, it was hard-fought. They certainly think a little bit of pain now and hopefully they can bring this case under control again. Anna Coren for us in Hong Kong, appreciate it.
Israel is reimposing tighter restrictions in light of a new spike in coronavirus there, they include the immediate closure of bars, clubs and gyms. And the number of diners at restaurants and worshippers at synagogues will be limited.
The prime minister says Israel has to reverse course to avoid a wider shutdown later that could in fact, he says, decimate the economy.
Palestinian officials meantime in the occupied West Bank have imposed a full lockdown as cases surge there as well.
The Mexican president will head to Washington in the coming hours if he tests negative for the coronavirus. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he has no symptoms. He and President Trump will be celebrating the implementation of the new free trade deal.
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NEWTON: The U.S.-Mexico Canada-agreement, it went into effect July 1st. Missing from that summit but invited is Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who declined, he said, due to scheduling commitments.
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro says he has been tested for coronavirus. His office says he is in good health and expects to receive his results in the coming hours.
We will be waiting for those results as Brazil has recorded 620 new fatalities on Monday, pushing its death toll past 65,000. And this is despite the rising numbers. Many cities are still planning to reopen as CNN's Bill Weir reports.
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: In the age of COVID-19, Presidents Trump and Bolsonaro are two of a kind. Both love Twitter and by all appearances hate wearing masks. Both are openly at odds with their nation's top doctors go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Therapy is good. Bolsonaro is good.
WEIR: And reliance instead on the support of fans as they dismissed the pandemic as a little flu and a lot of hype. So, you don't believe COVID-19 exist at all?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it is --
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WEIR: It's a hoax?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. WEIR: It could exist, this pro-scenario YouTuber tells me, but if it exists, it is weak. He sounds just like his president. Who, when ask about his nation passing China in fatalities said, so what?
"I mourn, but what do you want me to do. I can't work miracles."
But the pot and pan protest that now ring out every time he goes on TV are just one sign of a nation at odds with itself. Testing is still hard to come by and as they dig mass graves from Amazonia to Rio, some experts believe the officials' 1.6 million infections reported could be 12 to 16 times higher. And yet, the big cities are opening it up.
Just as Bolsonaro uses his veto power to water down new laws to protect the public, ones that would make mask wearing mandatory in churches, schools, shops and prisons.
NATALIA PASTERNAK, MICROBIOLOGIST & PRESIDENT, QUESTION OF SCIENCE INSTITUTE: It's crazy. It's crazy. Science is being ignored in this government, as it has never been before.
WEIR: Natalia Pasternak is a microbiology's who lobbies for more science in government policy and is among the many who are horrified when Bolsonaro fired his respected health minister for advancing quarantines, a loyal general with no healthcare experience is now running the nation's pandemic response.
PASTERNAK: Are we going to be able to care for these people?
I mean, will there be hospitals for everyone?
Will there be ventilators for everyone?
We never reached the situation that they reached in Italy where the doctor is forced to choose the person that gets the ventilator. I hope we never come to that but we I'm afraid we might.
WEIR: Bill Weir, CNN, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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NEWTON: Now the Hong Kong government is clamping down even harder on schools to remove books that might breach the city's sweeping new national security law. The education bureau says administrators and teachers should review all materials, including books, in a timely manner.
The law Beijing imposed last week mandates strict penalties for secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. It effectively outlaws certain political views, such as support for independence from China.
But Hong Kong's chief executive says the national security law is relatively mild. Carrie Lam talked about the law in her weekly news conference Tuesday. She dismissed concerns that it undermines freedom, and warning people not to violate it.
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CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: The national security law will restore stability and helps ensure the great majority of Hong Kong people could exercise their rights and freedoms without being intimidated or attacked. So instead of spreading fear, the law actually removes fear and let Hong Kong people return to a normal, peaceful life.
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NEWTON: Pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong clearly disagrees with Hong Kong's, leader he told CNN's Ivan Watson the city's freedoms are being eroded under the new security law. His remarks shortly came after pleading not guilty to charges related to protests last. Year
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JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: I was charged by organizing, inciting, and participating unauthorized assembly during the protest outside of Hong Kong police headquarters last summer.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I remember that day. There were thousands and thousands of demonstrators outside of the police station, and some were throwing eggs at the building, some were spray painting graffiti on it. I do remember you addressing the crowd, telling people to register to vote.
WONG: It's the responsibility of the government to hold the police accountable and with the brutal crackdown that happened last summer.
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WONG: is the reason for why people gathered outside of the police headquarters. Political prosecution exists in Hong Kong for almost a year already. Almost 10,000 people were arrested since last summer. And 1,600 of them, including me, were prosecuted.
WATSON: Hong Kong government officials say basic freedoms will be respected here under the national security law. What is your response to that assertion?
WONG: If basic freedom still exists under the national security law, how come the book I published when I was still in high school was banned in Hong Kong's public library?
It's not only about the political rights anymore. It's not only about the rights of the protesters. It's about the fundamental freedom or liberty that everyone cherish in this city that eroded and fade out already.
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NEWTON: That was pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, he was speaking with CNN's Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. President Trump is once again trying a controversial campaign strategy
that critics call race baiting. But the White House is defending his efforts to inflame racial tension. That's next.
And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex speak out on a very tough topic, find out what they said about Britain's colonial past. Stay with us.
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NEWTON: With the pandemic engulfing the U.S., President Trump is choosing to focus on the racial divide, fanning the flames with new and inflammatory tweets. Jeremy Diamond has the story.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, President Trump ramping up his divisive and racially charged rhetoric. The President suggesting he disagrees with NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate flag at its races and falsely accusing NASCAR's only black driver of orchestrating a hoax after a member of his team found a noose in his garage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is the President even suggesting that Mr. Wallace should apologize?
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, look, the FBI noted and concluded this was not a hate crime and he believes it would go a long way if Bubba came out and acknowledged that as well.
DIAMOND: But Wallace did, back on June 24th saying he was relieved after the FBI determined the noose had been in the garage since last year.
This afternoon Wallace tweeted, always deal with the hate being thrown at you with love adding, even when it's hate, from the President.
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The White House press secretary also trying to claim that Trump was not expressing support for the Confederate flag.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I spoke to him this morning about this, and he said he was not making a judgment one way or the other.
DIAMOND: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a loyal Trump supporter, backing NASCAR's decision.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): They're trying to grow the sport. The Confederate flag is not a good way to grow your business.
DIAMOND: And defending Wallace. GRAHAM: Well, I don't think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize
for.
DIAMOND: Trump's tweet builds on the inflammatory rhetoric he delivered in a pair of Independence Day speeches --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't shoot!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't shoot!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't shoot!
DIAMOND: -- in which he painted racial injustice protesters as fascists, trying to end America as we know it.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities.
We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children, or trample on our freedoms.
DIAMOND: After trying to recast his fight to protect Confederate monuments as an attempt to --
TRUMP: Protect and preserve our history, our heritage and our great heroes.
DIAMOND: -- the president's race-based appeals unmasked by his own tweets, signaling a campaign strategy to stroke fear among white Americans, just like in 2016.
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DIAMOND: So it's clear that the president is, indeed, diving back into that 2016 playbook, dividing Americans along racial and cultural lines, but it's also clear that the president is swimming against the current more than ever before, appealing to a smaller and smaller slice of the American electorate.
Beyond NASCAR, we also saw just last week Mississippi removing the Confederate battle flag from its state flag.
And political attitudes in terms of racial injustice in America are also quickly changing. Recent polls have shown that about two-thirds of Americans support the protests in the wake of George Floyd's death, and only about one-third of Americans believe that President Trump is handling race relations adequately.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
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NEWTON: My next guest is CNN senior political analyst and the senior editor for "The Atlantic." Ron Brownstein is with me from Los Angeles here.
Ron, so good to see you. Gosh, it seems like a few hours in politics seems like a few years. But there was a lot to get through, starting from Friday and Mt. Rushmore. Jeremy went through a lot of it there for us.
One thing you pointed out was that, you know, more than three and five Canadians -- Canadians, pardon me. Americans. Had it on the brain, Ron. You'll excuse me. Americans do not approve of the handling of the race issue, and yet the president continues to race bait.
Why is he stuck in this gear, because depending on who you speak to, it's a strategy, and other people say, no, he's just being stubborn?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, I think it's a strategy. I think what the presidents vision has always been, that he will mobilize the voters in America who are most uneasy about the way America is changing, demographically, culturally, even economically. And that has been his coalitions, primarily people who live outside the big cities; older, blue-collar, evangelical Christian whites.
The problem he's got by itself is not enough to win. And in 2016, he added to that what I call the coalition of restoration: 5 or 6 points of voters, right-of-center voters, suburban white-collar voters who normally vote Republican, who may have been uneasy about some of the ways that he talked about race but willing to give a business guy a chance. They didn't like Hillary Clinton. They wanted lower taxes.
What's very clear, Paula, is that that last piece of his coalition is breaking away in big numbers. And rather than trying to win it back by moderating some of his language and behavior that drives them away, he is doubling down on a vision of winning by turning out even more of his coalition of restoration. The problem is, everybody else hears what he's saying, too, and he risks sparking large turnout on the other side, as well.
NEWTON: Since you say that it is a strategy, that it's not just instinctual or that he's just really speaking out viscerally and can't help himself. OK, it's a strategy. From what you see, and I know you know the numbers on this so well, is the turn -- is that turnout, turning out more of those people going to be enough? Can it still be a winning strategy?
BROWNSTEIN: I mean, it really is the question, right? There's no question that there are a lot of voters in that category who didn't vote in 2016. Half of all the eligible voters who didn't show up in 2016 were non-college whites, the blue-collar whites that he's aiming this at, and in those key Rust Belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, they're at least half of the non-voters. So there is theoretically a pool of people for him to appeal to.
But when you are down as low as he is -- you know, right now, he's in the low forties -- it's very, very hard to make that up with differential turnout. And historically, you know, American political consultants will tell you that any message that is polarizing and lacerating enough to massively increase turnout on your side tends to rebound and massively increase turnout on the other side.
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And there's no question, if you look at some of the voters who are, you know, unhappy with Trump, they are showing a lot of motivation, really, in every election since 2017, since that first Virginia governor's race. In the Trump era, the Democratic voters have shown up in big numbers, precisely because of the way he has approached the presidency in such a polarizing manner.
NEWTON: You know, Ron, as you were talking, we were just showing the fact that, you know, Joe Biden right now is way ahead.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
NEWTON: But certainly an ominous signal from "The Wall Street Journal." You know, they had this editorial, called Trump's speech at Rushmore one of the best of his presidency.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
NEWTON: And precisely because of this division. But he said, as you can see there, one of the best speeches of Mt. Rushmore. "Mr. Trump is trying to rally the country in defense of traditional American principles."
But what the editorial went on to say, which to me was just much more insightful, was that they pointed out the progressive elites are courting a backlash here. And in that, do you see, you know, a warning for the Biden camp?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, there's no question that kind of the reconsideration of America's racial history can be -- can go too far in the sense of involving violence, or unsanctioned actions of tearing down statues. And there will be a backlash against that if it continues.
Joe Biden is not going to wade into those waters. I mean, that's not who he is. He's a guy who was going to be -- he was the nominee 50 years ago after he first won elective office. No one in American history has ever been the nominee of their party 50 years after they first won elective office for the first time.
And you know, that's -- the reflection, that's not a guy who has been a revolutionary at any point in his life.
And the big -- I think the biggest dynamic here is that, you know, Trump is trying to replay, in many ways, the Richard Nixon playbook from 1968, when he ran on law and order and convinced many white- collar, suburban white voters -- and blue-collar, just suburban white voters in general, that he would keep them safe against disorder in the cities.
The difference now, Paula, is if you look at polling, it's pretty clear that a lot of those same voters, the equivalent 50 years later, think that Trump is making them less safe, because the way he is exploiting division and inciting more racial tension increases the risk of violence. There was a striking poll result. By two to one, college-educated white said that having Trump as president made them feel less safe, rather than more safe. And that's where I think this whole strategy kind of runs aground in any sense other than trying to massively increase turnout of his non-urban, non-college white base.
NEWTON: Right. It's interesting you mention 1968, the year I was born, by the way, but more than that, CNN has -- has a documentary on that, as well. And it's interesting just to see that replay. And then everything you say now today, 51 years later, 52 now, you can see -- you can certainly see how the divisions are playing out in so many ways that echo what goes on today. Ron --
BROWNSTEIN: Can I give you two quick differences?
NEWTON: Go for it. Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: Two quick differences. In 1968, when -- you know, what kind of Trump is planning for, the non-college whites who are the principal audience for his message, were about 80 percent of all the voters.
Now they're about half that. OK? College-educated whites and non- whites will each be about 30 percent of the electorate. White Christians in 1968 were 85 percent of all American adults. Now it's around 42. Again, about half that.
He -- the core of the Trump strategy is squeezing bigger margins out of shrinking groups, at the price of provoking more opposition from the growing groups. And you can see the math problem that that creates. Maybe he can squeeze it out one more time in the Electoral College, although right now, it doesn't look great on that front.
But in the long run, there's no business in the world that would have a market -- a business strategy built on dominating shrinking markets at the expense of writing off the growing markets.
NEWTON: And we don't have to wait that much longer for them to figure this out. As I said, less than four months.
BROWNSTEIN: Four months.
NEWTON: Ron Brownstein --
BROWNSTEIN: Better than four more years. Four more months.
NEWTON: All right. Ron Brownstein, we'll be talking to you a lot before then. Ron Brownstein, thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, the woman who became known as the Central Park Karen has been charged with falsely importing an incident.
Amy Cooper was caught on video, making an emergency call in May, claiming an African-American man was threatening her, but bird watcher Christian Cooper, no relation, had only asked her to leash her dog, as required by the rules in the section of New York's Central Park.
The video went viral, the rest is history. It sparked widespread outrage. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted about the news, saying, "Good. Her racist behavior could have had dire consequences for a black man. Glad she'll face consequences of her own."
I will also point out that Miss Cooper is also Canadian.
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are speaking out on the wrongs of colonialism. They appeared on a video conference call at a session of the queen's Commonwealth Trust last week. The commonwealth is made up of 54 nations, most of which have links to the British empire.
Sessions were set up in response to the anti-racism protests around the globe.
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PRINCE HARRY, UNITED KINGDOM: When it comes to institutional and systemic racism, it's there, and it stays there, because someone somewhere is benefiting from it.
We can't deny or ignore the fact that all of us have been brought up and educated to see the world differently. However, once you start to realize that there is that bias there, you need to acknowledge it. You need to acknowledge it, but then you need to do the work to be able to become more aware so that you can --
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Exactly what you're saying.
PRINCE HARRY: Exactly what you're saying.
MARKLE: And I think so much of what we're seeing, as well, is that, you know, it's not even in the big moments, right? It's in the quiet moments for racism and unconscious bias lies and, as you said, lies and hides and thrives. And it's those nuances that I think is confusing for a lot of people to understand the role that they play in that, either passively or actively. But I think even more so passively.
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NEWTON: British athlete Bianca Williams is accusing London police of racial profiling after she and her partner were pulled over and handcuffed near their home over the weekend.
Authorities say their car was stopped because it was seen driving suspiciously. But Williams and her partner tell CNN they were discriminated against simply because they're black.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARREN LEWIS, CNN SPORT CONTRIBUTOR: You never think you're going to find yourself in a situation where you are handcuffed by police and you are in a situation as traumatic as you were in.
BIANCA WILLIAMS, TEAM GB SPRINTER: Yes. You don't ever think that and they were literally pulling me away from my son, who is three months old. They'd already pulled Ricardo out of the car. And I was trying to stop them from -- I thought they were arresting Ricardo. I was trying to stop them from -- I can't stop them from arresting Ricardo.
I didn't understand why I had to be pulled out of the car and put in handcuffs. And I don't understand why I had to be taken away from my son. You know, they could've just spoken to me nicely and said, you know what? Calm down. We're just going to explain what we're doing and what the situation is and then -- I don't know, and then do something.
But they said they just put me in handcuffs and then said that, We're detaining you, and we're searching the vehicle for weapons and drugs.
LEWIS: Ricardo, were were you coming from when you (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
RICARDO DOS SANTOS, PORTUGUESE 400M SPRINTER: We were coming from training. We are on the way home from training, probably about three, four minutes away from home.
You know, I was already -- I was shattered. I was so exhausted. The thing that actually gets to me is I know my area inside-out, and I know when there are going to be traffic. And I know how to get around that traffic.
But I'm getting penalized for being street smart. I've been here for over 20 years in this area.
That being said, that is my only crime. My only crime was knowing how to get away from traffic. It happens so often that I know, and that's the bad thing. It shouldn't be so normal. It shouldn't be so common that I can tell, I can sense when they're going to -- when something is going to happen. It shouldn't be.
LEWIS: Bianca, what's your view on the way that they spoke to Ricardo?
WILLIAMS: They spoke to him as if he was nothing. As if he was worthless, like as if he was just -- if he was scum. It was horrible. But it didn't -- they didn't have any care at all.
LEWIS: And was that throughout? Was that --
WILLIAMS: That was -- that was until they found out we're both athletes, and then they started asking us questions about what things do we do?
LEWIS: European and Commonwealth gold medalist. You're also a mother, but is this now something that you have to get used to, now?
WILLIAMS: Yes. Especially now where we're raising a black boy. He's then going to be going to school by himself. And going to be doing things by himself. So we're going to have to get used to it and to teach him that he can -- he can be stopped by the police because of the color of his skin. You know, he's going to be accused of doing some -- accused of doing things.
It's just -- yes, it's just shocking to me I have to even tell our son those things.
LEWIS: And let's just mention this. The police commander, Helen Harper, she said that she is satisfied that there is no misconduct. She's looked at the actions of the officers. She said she's satisfied that there is no misconduct. What's your view on that?
DOS SANTOS: That, it is what we expected. So because the video that was first put out by Linford Christie, it shows half of the story. You can say that I was probably in the car for five, 10 minutes not listening to the police orders. If you saw that video, that's what you can actually say. And there's no proof that I did anything -- I did otherwise, because police were giving me instructions.
Hence why we put out the full video, which now shows that, within four seconds of them arriving toward my car, they've come out, batons (ph) blazing, ready to smash the window.
[00:45:10]
How can I communicate and/or conversate to somebody, anyone, any human within four seconds of them wanting to assault me or assault my property? So if she believed that that's perfectly normal and the way her officers reacted was absolutely OK, then she's not OK (ph).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: OK, to the United States now again, where officials are taking more steps to reopen schools, but with coronavirus cases rising, with no end in sight, some parents and educators believe it could be way too soon. A public health expert weighs in. That's next.
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NEWTON: Millions of parents in the United States are trying to determine when, and more importantly, if their children should return to school in the coming weeks, with coronavirus cases still rising.
Now, a source tells CNN the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon release new guidance on how students can safely return to the classroom. Now, we don't have the details yet. But we're told it's supposed to include scientific data on why schools should reopen.
Not everyone is convinced. The president of the National Education Association tells Politico many school districts are unprepared. She says, "There are no plans for most of these places," that "people are panicked and parents should be panicked."
Joseph Allen joins me now. He is the director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard University School of Public Health. And of course, we will talk about whether or not those school buildings are healthy, in a way, but I just want to start with some news from CNN in terms of what the CDC is going to come out with this week. And we understand the quote from them is going to be, schools should be the first to open and the last to close.
I mean, I know we're learning as we go with this virus, but do you think we've made mistakes in terms of how we've handled the closures and how we may handle the reopenings?
JOSEPH ALLEN, DIRECTOR, HEALTHY BUILDINGS PROGRAM, HARVARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Well, look, you know, I think we made the best decision we could at the time. Remember, in March, we had limited information about the spread of this virus, how kids transmitted it. And so I do think it was a prudent decision at that time to close schools.
Now, it's very clear, at this point, that we have to make better decisions in terms of reopening the schools. We've learned a lot. We know that kids are at low risk of getting this virus. We know that kids, if they get the virus, have a lower risk of adverse outcomes. Early evidence suggests that kids are -- transmit it less to adults.
And importantly -- maybe most importantly, we've really learned that these basic steps are effective in controlling the spread of the virus, for both kids and adults, and we can apply those in schools.
NEWTON: You know, you speak with a great deal of confidence, and yet, so much of that confidence is not instilled. Whether it's, you know, parents or educators at this point in time.
[00:50:03]
I want to get to what you point out are the dangers of trying to think that we could carry on this at-home learning for much longer. You say that there is a lot of what you say virtual drop-outs. And it's for all age categories everywhere.
Do you see the results that, in fact, you know, this just isn't working? Kids need to physically be in school, at least for part of the time?
ALLEN: Yes, I mean, look, let's address the anxiety here. I understand this on both sides of this. I'm a parent, too. I have three young kids.
And the reality is that there are massive costs to these school closures. You mentioned virtual dropouts. Where I am in Boston, 10,000 high school kids just didn't login at all in May.
In Philadelphia, 50 percent of elementary school kids were making daily contact. We know that kids out of school are more sedentary.
Thirty million plus kids in the United States rely on school for nutrition. UNICEF said that kids who are out of school due to lockdown are more likely to suffer from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.
So there are massive costs to these school closures that I don't think we're always talking about as a society. On the other side of this, we know there are proven risk reduction
strategies that can work in schools. And we can put these in place to keep kids and, importantly, teachers safe, as well.
NEWTON: OK, so here's the problem, is that what you're saying and, you know, some of your points are creative culture of health and safety. Stay home if you're sick. You know, clean the air indoors. Physically distance.
There aren't a heck of a lot of educators or parents right now, especially those of us who have our children in public schools who have a lot of confidence that this is actually going to happen.
What is your advice for parents, not just, you know, in the United States but all around the world in terms of what to look for to make them feel more comfortable, that it's a good decision to send their kids to school?
ALLEN: Yes, there's a whole bunch of things we can look for. And let's be -- let's start higher order here. I mean, we need to prioritize schools and kids back in schools.
You know, if we just say we're going to go back to schools as they were before they closed, that's a mistake. It shouldn't be business as usual, and it shouldn't be schools as usual. We need to make an investment in these schools to keep them safe.
One of the investments we have to make are healthy building strategies: Thinking about bringing in more fresh outdoor air; any recirculated air going through higher efficiency filters; supplementing that with portable air purifiers. And of course, mask wearing, physical distancing and handwashing.
These are all things that parents can look for before they decide to send their child back to school, and say what is the school communicating in terms of these healthy building strategies? Have they been taking this seriously?
We shouldn't expect to send our kids back if schools just say, We're going to go back to the status quo. There need to be these protections in place before we allow our kids to go back.
NEWTON: And what do you say to parents, perhaps like yourself, who are really weighing the risk/reward and thinking, does it really hurt for me to keep them out of school in August, September, whenever?
ALLEN: Well, I think that choice comes from really privileged positions. So for those people who can say, Well, I'll just leave my kids out for an entire year, my assumption would be they probably have the resources to do that. They probably have great Wi-Fi access and computers. And maybe they can supplement that with other tutoring and things like this.
The vast majority of kids, that's not the situation. In fact, many people have to work out of the home. So kids are sometimes being left home alone. It is absolutely critical to think about this from a societal standpoint and getting people back, rather than some individuals who may have the luxury of saying, Well, I'll just keep my kids home for the next year.
NEWTON: Yes, and it's such an important point, isn't it? Because it is a societal decision, and I think many people were happy to see the CDC, or it will come out and say, Look, the schools are the priority, not restaurants and bars.
Mr. Allen, thanks.
(CROSSTALK)
ALLEN: -- you know --
NEWTON: Well, you know, I wrote this. We have the national -- the American Academy of Pediatrics is on board with this. The faculty I work with at Harvard School of Public Health are on board with this, too. It's absolutely a priority.
And to make it work, we have to treat it like a priority. I think right now, we're thinking too much like, Oh, the kids will just go back in September as it was. That would be a mistake.
NEWTON: Understood. Mr. Allen, thanks so much. We appreciate your time.
ALLEN: Yes, thanks for having me, Paula. I appreciate it.
NEWTON: It's a discussion we'll continue to have here on CNN.
Now the world is celebrating the life of composer Ennio Morricone.
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(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: The music you know and the legacy he leaves when we return
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(MUSIC)
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[00:56:12]
NEWTON: Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone has died at the age of 91. He's best known for composing instantly recognizable tunes from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" and other so-called spaghetti westerns. Our Delia Gallagher takes a look at his legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (MUSIC)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The musical maestro behind more than 500 compositions, legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone died on Monday at the age of 91.
He broke onto the scene more than half a century ago with his ground- breaking scores for Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, including "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly."
Morricone wrote for films, television programs, popular songs and orchestras, receiving dozens of awards, including Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and BAFTAs.
His last Academy Award was in 2016 for Best Original Score for Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight."
His music was often accompanied by the cracking of whips, gunshots and sounds inspired by wild animals.
ENNIO MORRICONE, AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: It has to be listened to, played by the instruments and then heard by the director, but most importantly, it has to be listened to by the public.
GALLAGHER: Morricone broke his femur some days ago and died during the night in a clinic in Rome. In a statement, his family said, "He dedicated a moving memory to his audience from whose affection and support he always drew the strength of his creativity."
Tributes poured in from around the world, with fellow composer Hans Zimmer saying he was devastated.
HANS ZIMMER, AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER: Ennio was an icon. And icons just don't go away. Icons are there forever.
GALLAGHER: Morricone worked in almost all film genres, from horror to comedy. And some of his tunes are perhaps more famous than the films he wrote them for --
(MUSIC)
GALLAGHER: -- making him one of the world's most adored and recognizable screen composers.
MORRICONE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Music conveys what is not said and what is not shown. That is all.
GALLAGHER: Delia Gallagher, CNN, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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