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NFL Players Opting Out of Season Amid Virus Concerns; MLB's Season Thrown into Disarray Over Marlin's Virus Outbreak; Florida Breaks Daily Death Toll; 29 Year Old Health Care Worker Dies from COVID; Kavanaugh Urged Supreme Court Colleagues to Avoid Abortion Ruling; Congress Grills CEOs of Major Tech Companies. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 29, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: He is also been advising NHL and MLS players unions on COVID. And so, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, thank you so much for being on with me and let's just talk baseball here at first. How can MLB given all these infections -- how does MLB get this back under control?

DR. ISAAC BOGOCH, CLINICIAN INVESTIGATOR, TORONTO GENERAL HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Yes, it's going to be very challenging. Certainly, as you point out, they're not playing in a bubble. And while they might be able to control the environment on the field and in practice facilities and training facilities. You know, the question is, what's happening in the other 20 hours of the day? Are players going out and about and getting infected in the community and then perhaps bringing it back?

I mean this is a very challenging scenario. So, I think they're going to have to contend this with moving forward in their season because they just can't control the environment that their players are in at all times of the day.

BALDWIN: So then you have the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the NBA, they've been in this bubble, they've had not a single positive test in over a week which is great news for them. So obviously you're seeing the difference between the leagues in the bubble, NBA, MLS and NHL versus MLB, which is not existing in a bubble. Do you think a sports league could work without one?

BOGOCH: I think it would be very challenging especially in North America. We certainly know that, you know, sadly in the United States there really is a lot of infection going on and it's very tricky if you're not going to be performing your sports league in a bubble.

In the bubble, of course they test the players very frequently before they come into the bubble, when they're in the bubble there's tight infection prevention and control measures that are initiated and enacted in the bubble to prevent any infection from being transmitted should it be reintroduced. And to date we have to be very careful, to date there does not appear to be break downs in those bubbles, be it in hockey, in basketball, in soccer. So those seem to be like very effective mechanisms to conduct professional sports. I think that's right approach.

BALDWIN: So than given what we all about life through suns bubble, what would you say to the NFL? What would you say to college football, other sports trying to pull this off without a bubble in the next couple of months?

BOGOCH: Well, there's a couple of things. One is maybe they should reconsider the structure of the league. The second thing is we have to remember where people are getting this infection. And certainly if they're not going to operate in a bubble type of scenario, they have to be very, very careful that the players and all of the other ancillary staff that are involved with this, that they don't get infected when they're not in the training or the game facility.

So people really have to stay close to home and really work between their home and the training facility. And that means, you know, no house parties, no going out to restaurants and bars. You know, really good public health measures, hand hygiene, physical distancing, putting a mask on when you're in an indoor setting and really sticking close to home.

BALDWIN: Yes. No extracurricular hangouts outside of, you know, home, practice, that's it. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, thank you so much for all of your perspective. I appreciate it.

We have more breaking news here. Hard hit Florida hitting a new grim milestone, reported 216 COVID deaths in a day. So I'll talk to a mother who just lost her 29-year-old, nearly 30, daughter from coronavirus in Florida. She'll join me live, next.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This just into CNN, Florida once again breaking its daily death record, reporting 216 COVID related deaths yesterday. The Republican governor of Florida Ron DeSantis has repeatedly defended Florida's aggressive reopening and is pushing for schools to reopen in the fall.

Also, in Florida, one mother is suffering as a result of the worst tragedy a parent can face, the death of your own child. Coronavirus took the life of her daughter earlier this month. Samantha Diaz, known as Sammy, here, who was a health care worker, who loved taking care of other people including her three children, but last month she started feeling ill and so she was soon hospitalized with COVID and Sammy died on July 10th, just nine day of what would have been her 30th birthday.

And now Diaz's mother is left to take care of Samantha's three children, two of whom also got COVID. Her 16-month-old and her 2 and a half-year-old and thankfully, they are all now negative. But Samantha's mother, Anadelia Diaz is with me now. And so, Miss Diaz, I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you so much for being with me. Just first of all, how are you doing right now and how are Sammy's kids health-wise?

ANADELIA DIAZ, MOTHER OF SAMANTHA DIAZ: Well, I'm doing OK as expected. I have three children to take care. So, I have to be strong for them. But I'm empty inside.

And the children are doing good. They -- the virus is out of their system. They seem to be doing OK. They're eating fine. They're sleeping fine. But missing their mother, of course. They see pictures and they know that's mommy.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about mommy. Let's talk about your daughter. And I appreciate, I know this is profoundly difficult for you, but I appreciate you coming on to just share the story. So, Sammy was a medical assistant, it's my understanding, she wanted to eventually become a nurse. You know, she worked during the pandemic, she took on extra shifts.

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And so, one day she calls you and says I have a scratchy throat, I think it is allergies, Anadelia, what happened next? How quickly did Sammy decline?

DIAZ: Very quickly. This was on a Monday. By Wednesday she was already running a temperature. She went and got tested on a Thursday. She found out that one of her coworkers had tested positive for the COVID. Within a few days, she was -- she couldn't control her fever, body ache. On Tuesday, June 23rd, she ended up in the hospital because her oxygen level had gone underneath 90. It was at 83.

And she was in the hospital, regular room for about a week and then she was put in ICU and around July 1st she was put in ICU, and everything went downhill from there. They tried everything to try to -- you know, to better her. But everything they did was just impossible. The more they did, the more she was pulled away from us.

BALDWIN: And I know off the top, you said you're feeling empty inside but I'm thinking about these two little ones who I know are itty- bittys, but at the same time, you know, they have to know that their mom is gone. Like it's my understanding, you know, that they would cry because they miss their mother and then they were sick. But then --

DIAZ: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- you couldn't hug them.

DIAZ: No, I couldn't hug them. We had to double mask. I stayed in the bedroom with them most of the time and they would cry. And runny nose, coughing and a lot of body ache and I just prayed for the best, and I prayed to God to help me through this. And thank god he heard our prayers because we all are negative now and the children are doing fine. But it was a nightmare that I don't wish on anyone. On top of losing my daughter, having to go through this with my grandkids, babies.

BALDWIN: I hear one of them, I think. DIAZ: Yes.

BALDWIN: I can't even begin to imagine. And so suddenly, you know, you lose your daughter, you're caring for her babies. And then on top of it all is you're obviously needing to put food on the table for all of the little extra mouths. You, though, needed to quit your job as a housekeeper because why?

DIAZ: Well, because one, I'm scared to take them to daycare because children are asymptomatic sometimes and I'm just afraid for them to bring something to us and my Sammy didn't get away with this, but I mean we were lucky that we did and we're still here. And I don't want anything brought to me and -- or my family. And I want to be able to be here for them because they're babies. And it's just very scary out there.

BALDWIN: Anna, I read off the top, like the new, you know, Florida keeps breaking its daily record of these COVID deaths and I had read that -- do you still believe that Sammy would be alive if Florida had fully shut down.

DIAZ: Most definitely, yes. She would still be alive if Florida would not have reopened, we were not even in the first phase of this pandemic and look at the

numbers now. You know, of course, yes, I think she would still be here. Most definitely she would still be here.

BALDWIN: Anadelia, I appreciate you being on. I appreciate you being so candid with your emotions and hopefully, you know, people who are watching you, especially in states like Florida, do take care and take those extra precautions even if the government isn't telling them to.

I do want to point out that if you are watching, if you are a generous soul, if you would like to support the Diaz family, you can do so, you can donate at their GoFundMe page and you can find that link to that page on CNN.com. Miss Diaz, thank you so, so much. Again, my condolences and just sending you all of the best -- you know, and the healthiest wishes to you and your entire family. Thank you.

DIAZ: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We'll be right back.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to get you right to this new CNN exclusive series looking behind the scenes of the U.S. Supreme Court in its pivotal term.

CNN Supreme Court analyst, Joan Biskupic, joins me to talk about the court's most junior Justice Brett Kavanaugh. And, Joan, of course, we remember the storm of controversy in which he sort of came on the scene. How has he tried to resurrect his image on the bench? JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Good afternoon, Brooke.

You're right that the last time we saw Brett Kavanaugh on kind of the national stage, he was very angry, defiant. He's trying to be just the opposite behind the scenes now, much more deferential, accommodating of his colleagues and accommodating of the parties.

We've seen a couple different patterns, one trying to strike a conciliatory posture with his colleagues, responding with alternatives and compromises. And then when he rules in cases, even when he rules against a litigant, he always wants to make sure he's showing some sort of regard.

So, he's striking a certain kind of softer cord compared to his hard- hitting conservative colleagues. And then finally a pattern that we've traced is how he's trying to avoid certain thorny topics.

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For example, on abortion and the President Trump documents case.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the abortion ruling. I mean this is extraordinary color you've got. And I was reading your reporting earlier this morning. So, we know the Court rejected a Louisiana law that required doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. And you learned that Justice Kavanaugh tried to find a way where they would not reject it so sort of overtly.

BISKUPIC: That's right. He actually wanted the Court to side-step the issue. Think of the backdrop here, Brooke. Susan Collins was pivotal in voting for him. The Maine Republican Senator said that he vowed to her that he would protect Roe V. Wade, the abortion rights precedent.

And Brett Kavanaugh was succeeding Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was the critical fifth vote on abortion. So, so many people were watching to see what would the new Supreme Court do on abortion rights? What would Brett Kavanaugh do? And he made a pitch to his colleagues from mid-March to mid-April as this case was under internal debate to say let's send the case back. Let's send it back to a lower court for more fact-finding on just how difficult it might be for physicians to meet this credentialing requirement.

Now, a district court judge had held a six-day trial on this and said this credentialing requirement is very tough. It will close abortion clinics in the state of Louisiana. And it would impinge on a woman's right to abortion.

So, but he wanted an off ramp here. Turned out there were no takers among his colleagues for that off ramp. And what happened then instead is that the Court ruled 5-4 with the fifth vote by Chief Justice John Roberts with the liberals to strike down this Louisiana law.

BALDWIN: And then, Joan, what about the cases that involve Trump's financial records?

BISKUPIC: That was another one where he offered a possible way out. And in this situation, it was the House case where the Democratic-led House committees were trying to subpoena President Trump's records from his accountant and longtime banks. And Brett Kavanaugh raised the possibility that this might fall under what's known as the political question doctrine that some cases are just simply so political between the branches of government that judges have no responsibility or authority to decide them.

And he convinced his colleagues to actually ask for supplemental briefing on that question. But when that came in and when the justices looked seriously at it, again, there were no takers, and the justices actually ruled in the case and Brett Kavanaugh backed down there too.

BALDWIN: It's incredible detail, everything that you're reporting out. I know for everyone listening and you want more, as we all want more, Joan Biskupic, you can go to CNN.com to read her new story. And there's so much more. Part of her exclusive four-part series. We'll continue the conversation. For now, Joan, thank you in Washington D.C.

BISKUPIC: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You got it.

Coming up, a major medical group warning that the United States could see hundreds of thousands of deaths if we do not get this virus under control.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Right now, four of the nation's most powerful CEOs are getting grilled on Capitol Hill. Congress is investigating Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google. Live pictures here you go, to determine if these companies have used their power in their online dominance. And so, two hours into this hearing, Amazon's Jeff Bezos got his first question pressed on reports that Amazon uses third-party seller data to its own advantage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PARIMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Let me ask you, Mr. Bezos, does Amazon ever access and use third-party seller data when making business decisions? And just a yes or no will suffice, sir.

JEFF BEZOS, CEO, AMAZON: I can't answer that question yes or no. What I can tell you is we have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private label business. But I can't guarantee you that that policy has never been violated.

JAYAPAL: You have access to the entirety of sellers' pricing and inventory information, past, present, and future. And you dictate the participation of third-party sellers on your platform. So, you can set the rules of the game for your competitors, but not actually follow those same rules for yourself. Do you think that's fair to the mom and pop third-party businesses who are trying to sell on your platform?

BEZOS: I'm very proud of what we have done for third-party sellers on this platform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go straight to CNN's Donie O'Sullivan. He has been following every minute of this. What has really stood out for you so far?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, just to break down what you just heard there, Brooke, Amazon has third-party independent retailers that use their sites to sell their products. Amazon, of course, can see how those products are being sold, who's buying them. And so the questions that are being asked is how are these big companies like Amazon and Facebook and Apple that run their own stores for their independent retailers, how are they using that data to then potentially quash those retailers, those competitors?

And it's been really interesting. I mean this committee has been gathering details, internal documents from these companies for many months and the Democrats really are using this as an opportunity to release those documents.

Representative Jerry Nadler asking Mark Zuckerberg about some emails he sent in 2012 about Instagram. Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 and some internal emails had Zuckerberg talking about, you know, maybe we should buy these because they are attracts.

One more email that I want to point out is that in 2012 Zuckerberg wrote we can always likely just buy any competitive startups, but it would be a while before we can buy Google. When he was asked about that in the committee today, he said he didn't remember sending that email but that it sounded like a joke.

But that very much gets to the heart of this anti-trust issue. Are these companies too big, are they just going to swallow up and trample on any competition -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Zuckerberg, someone who's been used to testifying in front of Congress, I say in front of in the age of COVID, obviously they're doing it, you know, distanced. But this is the first time Jeff Bezos has been in this sort of hot seat in front of members of Congress. So, a lot of eyeballs on him I know.

Donie O'Sullivan, thank you so much. Good to see you.

And good to be with all of you, I'm Brooke Baldwin. "The Lead" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

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