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White House, Dems Hold Talks On Deal As $600 Unemployment Benefit Expires; Hurricane Warnings Issued For Part Of Florida Amid Pandemic; Hundreds Infected At Georgia Camp In Just Days; Trump Warns He Will Ban Video App Tiktok From U.S.; MLB Season In Doubt After More Positive Tests. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 01, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:15]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning. Thanks for being with us.

I'm Erica Hill in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with an eye on Hurricane Isaias which is now on track to impact as many as 70 million Americans. At this hour the storm is barreling towards the Florida coast. Just a short time ago, President Trump issuing a federal disaster declaration for the state in advance of the storm.

Florida, of course, is still trying to get a handle on the coronavirus which is spreading there at a rapid rate. Some testing sites have been forced to close for several days because of the hurricane.

Meantime, a critical lifeline for millions of Americans is now gone. The extra $600 unemployment benefit expired at midnight. Right now, Democratic leaders and Trump administration officials are meeting in Washington, hoping to hash out another deal.

And all of this as the CDC offers a dire new forecast. That in just three weeks' time the CDC projecting another 20,000 Americans will die from the virus.

In July alone, there have been 10 days of deaths in this country topping a thousand reported deaths in a single day. More than 1,000 on ten different days. More than 153,000 Americans have now succumbed to the disease. Cases in the U.S. now total more than 4.5 million and of course that number is rising.

Let's begin this hour in Washington where those negotiations for an important relief package are under way at this hour. CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill.

So, Lauren, we're about a couple of hours into these discussions now this morning. Do you have a sense of how close these sides, the two different sides are at the moment? LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well Erica, when they went in

this morning they were no closer to a deal than I would say they were five days ago. There are still deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats as to what this stimulus deal should look like.

Republicans have floated multiple times a short-term extension of unemployment benefits at various levels, but Democrats are arguing they want a broader deal. They want to make sure that essentially not only are they dealing with this unemployment insurance issue but that they're dealing with more money for states and local governments. They're dealing with ensuring that people can get back to schools safely.

They want to make sure that whatever deal they agree to with the White House and with the Republicans is that full, broad deal; a way to ensure that they are protecting not just individuals and this unemployment business, but also the broader sense of what needs to be done.

Because you know, remember, when this initial bill was passed in the spring, Erica, it was seen as sort of a temporary fix. The hope was that by the summer things would be more under control. Obviously that is not the case.

And Democrats are arguing they want to ensure that any negotiation that they enter into is taking into consideration a broad deal. The reason? They fear that if they go ahead with the short-term unemployment deal what they will get is nothing else.

So that's where Democrats and Republicans are this morning. We have not seen them emerge from these negotiations. It has been about two hours this morning, Erica. But we'll keep you posted if they come out and if they have any announcements to make.

HILL: All right. Lauren, appreciate it. We will continue to check in.

Meantime, we are continuing to track hurricane Isaias as well. It's inching now closer to the U.S. It's a category 1 storm right now currently churning in the Bahamas where it has already brought major flooding across the Caribbean actually, expected to batter the state of Florida. Heavy rain, powerful winds on deck there.

Let's check in now with CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. So Allison, as we look what's to come with those pictures that we just saw out of the Caribbean, what are we looking at in terms of timing for landfall here in the U.S.?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. So the best timing for right now looks to be Florida at least late tonight and into Sunday. But again, we've already started to notice some of the outer bands from Hurricane Isaias begin to push into Florida.

So you're starting to see that begin as of now. Sustained winds are 80 miles per hour gusting up to 100 miles per hour. Here is a look at the track. Again, we're talking about coming within 25 miles or less of the Florida coast as it slides to the north and west through the day on Sunday. So again, this is going to be incredibly close call.

Then it slides up through the Carolinas and then into portions of the northeast once we get Tuesday into Wednesday of the upcoming week. When we talk about will it make landfall or not, the models are still split. You have nearly half of them wanting to make a landfall in Florida and the other half take it just along the east coast.

[11:04:50]

CHINCHAR: Where they do start to come into better agreement is once we get up to North Carolina, every single one of them has a landfall across portions of North Carolina and then slides up through the northeast even through states like New York all the way up to Maine.

When we talk about the impacts, winds for Jupiter and Melbourne will be in excess of 74 miles per hour. That is hurricane strength. But even places inland, like Orlando, you're still talking 40 to 60 mile- per-hour winds at times.

Storm surge, this is going to be one of the most widespread threats across Florida because from Jupiter to Jacksonville, you're talking about two to four feet, but this is on top of astronomical high tides because Monday is actually a full moon. So you're going to be seeing a lot of some of the highest tides for the entire month concurring with this storm as it slides up the East Coast.

Here is a look at it through today and then stretching into tomorrow as it continues up towards Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. Tropical storm watches just issued across portions of the Georgia Coast as well because it will track up through there.

One thing to note, rainfall won't necessarily be highest in Florida despite the fact that it will be so close. Where we're going to see some of the highest rain is actually going to be from say South Carolina all the way up through Massachusetts.

Widespread amounts there, Erica. Likely two to four inches but there will be some spots that pick up six, eight, even 10 inches of rain before the system finally pushes out.

HILL: Wow. That is a lot coming our way. Allison, appreciate it. Thank you.

As we continue to track the storm, we have our correspondents on the ground in Florida and the Bahamas.

Let's start with Matthew Moxey who is near Nassau. So what are the conditions like there, Matthew?

MATTHEW MOXEY, REPORTER, EYEWITNESS NEWS BAHAMAS: Rainy behind me. The sea -- the sea is just raging right now. And right now Hurricane Isaias is passing over north Andros and we here on New Providence are feeling the effects of it.

It's just been a very rainy day and the winds are beginning to pick up. It's really getting bad here. HILL: Let's check in now with Rosa Flores. Rosie, you're in Miami.

Obviously we've been talking to you so much over the last several months as we've covered one disaster that's unfolding with the coronavirus. How are preparations going with all of that in the background?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Erica, there is so much going on in the state of Florida because this is a compound disaster. You've got the pandemic and also Hurricane Isaias.

And officials here are trying to do their best. We know for a fact that the EOC centers have opened in the city of Miami and also in Miami Dade county. We've obtained this photo of the types of fans that have been installed in the Miami Dade County EOC to try to kill COVID- 19 that is airborne. This is according to the director of Emergency Management who provided this photo to us.

They installed four of these fans because, again, nothing is the same. You have a lot of people at the EOC in an area, and of course, they're trying to social distance, but this is an added measure to try to stop the spread of this virus.

According to city of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, the city of Miami is expecting tropical storm force wind at about 2:00 p.m. and it's supposed to last for about eight hours. That's what they're preparing for.

According to the mayor, he said that parks and marinas have been closed. They have also taken other measures like checking the drainage systems and also inspected and installed pumps to make sure that they're ready in case of flooding.

But look, everything about the response to the storm is going to be different because of the pandemic. When it comes to shelters, you're going to start hearing that some of the local and state officials refer to them as non-congregate shelters. What that means is they're trying to take measures to make sure that there are social distancing efforts being made.

According to FEMA, 60 square feet are required per person. The city -- the county of Miami Dade will be able to offer only 40 feet. So that's why we're learning from the American Red Cross because the American Red Cross will not be staffing the evacuation shelters here in Miami Dade County.

Now, I should mention that no evacuation has been ordered. But even when it comes to the restoration of power, we're learning from FPL in the state of Florida that there could be delays because of the pandemic, delays in the restoration of power. Why? Because they're implementing safety measures to make sure that the individuals that are restoring power will be able to do this safely.

They will be wearing masks, social distancing, there'll be sanitizing equipment. They're also going to be working in small groups. So, if there is an outbreak they can contact trace very quickly and also isolate.

[11:09:48]

FLORES: Because this is a pandemic, we've also checked in with hospitals here in Miami Dade County which is the hardest hit county in this state when it comes to COVID-19 accounting for 25 percent of the more than 480,000 cases in this state.

The two biggest hospitals here tell us that they do have generator power for at least four days, Erica. But of course, that is the big concern here because this is a double whammy for this state.

They're already dealing with COVID-19. The new numbers by the Florida Department of Health were just released, and again, the numbers have stabilized in a very high mark, more than 9,000 cases again today and more than 100 deaths as well, Erica.

HILL: Right. Those numbers are tough, even if they're stabilized. As you point out, Rosie, it's such a high number.

Matthew there, obviously where you are in the Bahamas, the Bahamas are still recovering from the Hurricane Dorian. How much of a concern is that at the moment as this next storm comes through?

MOXEY: Right, Erica. As you know, many Bahamians are still reeling from the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian that ravaged our islands last year. Many residents feared what Storm Isaias would have brought to the Bahamas.

Forecasters told us that it would have brought a lot of heavy rain. And as you know, some low-lying areas in the Bahamas are prone to flooding. So that was some concerns of many.

Last year forecasters also told us that Hurricane Dorian was not a storm that we should have worried about and then it turned out to be a catastrophic event. So some people still are reeling from the effects of what happened last year so they are concerned.

Residents to this hour still at the grocery stores making their final preparations. We went to grocery stores earlier. There are long lines. Building supply stores. People are still trying to secure their homes and their belongings as we are bracing for this hurricane.

HILL: Absolutely. Matthew Moxey, Rosa Flores -- thank you both. We'll continue to check in throughout the day.

Still to come this hour, the CDC now sounding the alarm about what could happen when schools reopen. This after hundreds of people at a Georgia summer camp, many of them young children, became infected with the virus.

Plus the Major League Baseball season off to a fairly rocky start and now reports that the league's commissioner is actually threatening to shut it down if things don't turn around.

[11:12:16] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: The CDC warning about the potential dangers that came out of a summer camp, a lot of people looking at what this could mean for reopening schools.

So there's a coronavirus outbreak at a summer camp in Georgia where researchers say nearly half of a group of campers, some 600 campers, tested positive after they attended this overnight camp. It opened in mid-June.

Now, the CDC did point out that the camp followed many of its mitigation guidelines for camps. Here is one thing that did not happen, however.

While staffers were told to wear masks, campers did not have to. One parent whose son ultimately became infected said the failure of the camp's reopening plan may be a cautionary tale for schools reopening for in-person classes in the fall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM MAIELLARO, SON ATTENDED SUMMER CAMP WHERE VIRUS BROKE OUT: Well, we know that the best-laid plans, as we saw with camp, something could happen. So if I had the opportunity to send my kids back to school, face to face, I would. But I think there would be more education on their part about what to do. Definitely wearing a mask right now, washing hands and trying to keep as much social distance as we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us now from New York City, which of course, has the nation's largest school district. Polo -- and I know that the city released some more information on their plans, including what to do if there's an outbreak.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, it's clear guidance that's being issued to school districts here throughout New York. I can tell you that three is really the magic number here. It's a key number that authorities are going to be on the close look out for.

You're talking about the infection rate. If it meets and exceeds 3 percent at one point or at least for about a week, then you are looking at the potential closure of schools. But for now they will be allowed to reopen this fall.

It could be a mix of in-person and remote teaching that students can look forward to. Now at any point if parents are concerned, then remote teaching would be offered. No questions asked.

But as we break down the rest of the guidelines that were issued by New York City officials, you could see here face coverings, hand sanitizer, other measures to make sure that the environment is safe and clean to students and staff would have to be put in place.

Also if there are over two COVID cases that are confirmed on campus, then you could potentially see the closure of that school isolation plans and facilities also need to be in place should a student or teacher or staff member potentially come up positive.

And also, there will be that social distancing that will be required, even some of those groups of students that will have to be required to stay with their group, movements will be restricted throughout campus. But again, at any point, if any teachers, students or staff feel like they are fairly concerned here, then at-home teaching would be offered to them no questions asked.

So we're seeing that here in New York city obviously very different from what we're seeing in perhaps other school districts across the country where parents are still waiting for clear guidance from their school districts and the federal government to find out exactly what will happen come this fall semester.

HILL: Yes, still a lot of questions especially when it is such a fluid and uncertain situation. Polo, thank you.

Joining me now to discuss further Dr. Daniel (INAUDIBLE). He's a public health expert and emergency medicine physician. Doctor, great to have you with us.

So those protocols for New York, now a lot of that we're learning because New York state was requiring, and full disclosure, I live in New York state, so our district sent us the proposal yesterday for our public school that had to be submitted to the state. And what they were very clear on, too, is what they do if there's an outbreak.

I mean what do you think is the best protocol for that if there's an outbreak whether it's a student or a teacher?

[11:19:59]

DR. DANIEL FAGBUYI, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Thank you for having me, Erica.

I think most important, it is good to open schools but it has to be responsible in the way we do it. So we do it in a responsible way.

But one of the things is that knowing what's going on in the region is really key in terms of the positivity rate. If you can identify the positivity rate and there's some guidelines the CDC put out and you can modify it based on the state and the leadership with public health experts.

But the kind of rule of thumb is if you have less than 5 percent positivity in that area or that region, you can be able to do certain things. And that would be one of the markers.

New York, in this case example, as you bring it up, has been at about 1 percent somewhere since about July 20th. So that's a good number and reasonable, but ultimately the point is parents will decide.

I don't care if you're a governor, the President, whoever. At the end of the day, the parents have to decide. It takes only one pediatric death in a community or in a regional area that makes somebody question that and makes parents actually get concerned about that.

So I do think the plans and policies that are in place, they seem to be stringent and they're good. Face coverings are very important and key.

This is a good case in which we actually have to look at it based on the cases that occurred in Georgia recently that you mentioned in the segment. The point is that you can't say that just teachers wear face coverings or the senior leadership wear face coverings and the students don't. You have to have a general rule for everybody.

It's been a piecemeal kind of response all across the nation. And when it now comes to our children and the kids, you really have to look at it on a global picture and actually be strict on the measures so you don't have any loopholes. There were loopholes in that previous policy.

H9: You know, the other thing that sticks outs to me as we look at the New York city plan, one of the things that the mayor talked about yesterday is THAT free testing would be available for students and staff, and that the staff would reportedly have a very quick turn around time.

This is a major issue across the country. As demand increases, we know that the results are coming back later and later. Sometimes as much as a week or two weeks later where at that point it's ineffective.

Does there need to be better testing and turn around time for results in place, do you think, for districts to open safely?

DR. FAGBUYI: Most definitely, preach (ph). The point is that even in an emergency department when we see a patient that comes in, you have to factor all those in. Does it really change my management? If we have a rapid turn around time, I'm talking literally I mean within 24 hours, a few hours of actually having a test result, that can definitely decrease the spread.

Once you know your result, we can isolate you. And so there's a whole piece of testing, the contact tracing, all that has to be in place at these schools if they really want to open up.

Baseball is a classic example of how they have the resources, they have the funding, they have all that and still there's some question around actually if the season is going to be a wrap.

So for the case of the schools where they don't have all resources all in place, you really have to be strict on that and you have to have all the resources to bear. So rapid turn around times with testing, making sure you can test not only staff and, but students and also the family from where they are. Are they doing some type of symptom checker to make sure that they know, hey, this is how they're feeling today? This patient -- or this child shouldn't go to school this day.

Those type of things with the contact tracing all in place that has to be key. If it's not there, once you get one loophole, it's done. It's a domino effect. HILL: We know there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to

what happens this fall. Certainly not for the country, not even for any state. What, though, as you look at this, we already know kids have gone back to school places like Indiana a junior high student tested positive on the first day.

What -- if there's one thing you can point to, that you think is most important for districts and parents to take into account, what is that?

DR. FAGBUYI: Well, I think they really need to say does my school or district have a plan in place? Is the plan strict and stringent enough, i.e., meaning what's the positivity rate of cases in your region, in your area? If it's less than 5 percent, I'm starting to consider it. If it's more than that, I'm probably not considering it. I have kids myself.

The other part is with regards to masks and face coverings, you make sure they're wearing a mask or face covering. It has to be mandatory at that institution. If it's not, game over.

The other part, do they have testing in place? Or are they plugged into their local public health department or have a private health corporation that they work with where they are able to do the testing and be able to get the rapid results in a timely fashion? And I'm talking less than 24 hours. Ideally within a few hours so you have an answer.

[11:24:55]

DR. FAGBUYI: So those will be the things that are in place. And they're also testing their staff and keeping on top of this everyday. That's important. And they can stagger and they should be able to space and social distance as best as they can.

So those are the things, strict hand washing, all the same measures. They seem basic. But if you don't have any of these all in place at the same time, there's always a loophole. And once you have a loophole, it's game over.

This is not a game. This is really real life. And I tell you, again, if there's one child that gets sick and dies, unfortunately that affects that whole community. And we don't want to open up, close again, open up, close again. We want to give them their education that they need and all the social parts.

HILL: Yes.

DR. FAGBUYI: But there's a risks/benefit ratio. So you have to weigh the merits and the demerits of these things.

HILL: And it is. It is certainly a community effort as you point out, everybody's got to take part.

Dr. Fagbuyi, great to have you with us this morning. Thank you.

DR. FAGBUYI: My pleasure. Thank you.

HILL: Breaking news from Major League Baseball. According to reports the league has just postponed today's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Why? More Cardinals testing positive for COVID-19. We have those details ahead.

[11:26:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: President Trump is warning he will use his executive order powers to ban Tiktok from the U.S. He says he could take that action as early as today. The popular video app is owned by a Chinese company. Critics have long warned that data from U.S. users could end up in the hands of the Chinese government. The President's latest threat comes as U.S. tech giant Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy Tiktok.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House. So Kristen, what the President is threatening to do, is it actually within his power to ban an app, to ban Tiktok?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, that's the question right now. And President Trump was very vague as to how he would actually do this. He floated several ideas. One, saying that he had the authority under some sort of executive action. The other being the emergency economic powers.

But we have heard that the White House is contemplating several different ways to go about doing this. One would be forcing that Chinese parent company to sell just the U.S. portion of the app. The other would be an executive order that allows the President to essentially exclude what is a national security threat from U.S. networks. That would be how they would get the app off of U.S. networks.

So until we have the actual breakdown of what he is going to do, it's hard to examine what kind of legal ramifications or challenges he will have. But as you said, this is coming at a time, first of all, the U.S. government is conducting a national security review on the app, a wildly popular app. It is the first Chinese social media platform that has become so popular across the entire world.

The concern over safety here is real. We have heard that the army and navy has refused to allow Tiktok to be downloaded on to their phones.

Now, Tiktok issued a statement on that. I want to pull it up for you. They say it's not true. They say "Tiktok user data is stored in the U.S. with strict controls on employee access. Tiktok's biggest investors come from the U.S. We are committed to protecting our users' privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform."

So of course, we're waiting to see what President Trump is going to do today. Right now he's playing golf. So it might be a little bit before we see any action on this. HILL: As we wait for that, though, some scathing words from Lieutenant

Colonel Alexander Vindman who actually is a civilian, I guess, as of today. A critical witness, of course, from President Trump's impeachment inquiry.

He has this opinion post in the "Washington Post" today, opinion piece, where he talks about a campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation by the President. What more did he say?

HOLMES: Well, that's right. I mean he starts off talking about his career within the military, saying he's been in the military for 21 years, 6 months and 10 days. And then he mentions this campaign that you talk about.

And he says that it was clear to him that he was never going to be able to rise in his career because of this retaliation from President Trump.

And he offers a really scathing criticism of where the country is right now. He says that our national government during the past few years has been more reminiscent of the authoritarian regime my family fled more than 40 years ago than the country I have devoted my life to serving.

Of course we know he fled Ukraine, which was a Soviet republic at the time when he was three years old. But I do want to note, Erica, he ends on a positive note saying that he still believes he did the right thing and America is a country where you should do the right thing.

HILL: Kristen Holmes with the latest for us from the White House. Thank you.

Breaking news from Major League Baseball, according to reports, the league has just postponed today's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers after more Cardinals tested positive for COVID-19. We have those details for you just ahead.

Plus, we know it worked for the NBA, so can the bubble be successful for the NHL, too? The deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League is with us live in minutes.

[11:34:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: More trouble for Major League Baseball. Today's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers being postponed now after more Cardinals tested positive for COVID-19. This is according to reports from the MLB Network and ESPN. And of course, there are already reports that the league commissioner had warned the players' union, protocols need to be better followed. And so far at least three teams have recorded cases of the virus.

CNN's Coy Wire joining me now. The more cases we hear about, right, the bigger the concern that this season could end very soon. Where do we stand, Coy? COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes. We're just over a week

into this, Erica. Tonight's game between the Cardinals and Brewers in Milwaukee reportedly postponed after multiple reports this morning saying there are more cases within the Cardinals organization. That's on top of two confirmed cases that forced yesterday's game to be postponed as well.

MLB would not confirm to CNN the amount of new cases. And said a statement will be coming shortly. ESPN reporting that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told the head of the players' union that if players don't do a better job following COVID-19 protocols he could shorten the season down.

Erica, I talked to one player who said he doesn't know if they're going to make it because they're counting on so many different people for this season to work.

Even last night it was a mixed bag of teams following protocols during games, or not. In the nine days since the season began, we've routinely seen players high-fiving, sitting next to one another.

[11:39:50]

WIRE: 16 games now postponed due to COVID -- 18 Marlins players, three of their coaches have tested positive, two Phillies staffers, plus the evolving situation with the Cardinals. Now MLB chose to play outside of a bubble setting and now their plans for this season are already starting to burst.

Let's go to hoops where the Orlando Magic's Jonathan Isaac became the first NBA player to stand for the national anthem since the league's restart. He did not wear a Black Lives Matter t-shirt either but says that he supports the movement.

The 22-year-old ordained minister won his team's community service award last year. He said afterwards that black lives are supported through the gospel.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and assistant Becky Hammon also standing before their win over the kings. Popovich who has been one of the NBA's strongest advocates for racial equality said this was a, quote, "personal decision", unquote. Spurs players, like DeMar DeRozan, support those decisions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMAR DEROZAN, SAN ANTONIO SPURS: I have no thoughts (INAUDIBLE). It's all on the genuine, on the positive side of their heart. You know, the same way we kneel. Don't take away nothing from those guys.

Popp speaks out when it comes to Becky. She's been front line fighting for equality since I've been a (INAUDIBLE) WNBA. Everybody has their own right of making a statement. And you can't change -- vilify nobody for not doing what the other group is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WIRE: Get you some highlights, Erica. The Rockets/Mavs game was an overtime thriller, a combined score of 302 points and the beer {ph) was in his bag. James Harden ripping his way through Dallas like they were a wet paper bag. 23 points in the first nine minutes alone, 49 on the night. He was euro stepping, he was flexing. Houston wins, 153, 149.

How about Ja Morant, looking like a slam dunk with this slam dunk here. Grizzlies. He gets this alley-oop from Brandon Clark. He looks like he's angry at that rim the way he hammers that home.

Memphis didn't win. Portland took it in OT but Griz are still 2.5 games up from the play -- for the final spot in the playoffs. Just seven games to go.

Erica, it feels so good to have sports back. Of course, you know, that many question whether we should. We have NBA, WNBA, NHL, PGA, LPGA, MLS and MLB and more in action today while the pandemic pushes on. But hey, at least we have some sports in our TV screens.

HILL: We do. And I have to tell you, my 10-year-old is very happy to see baseball back. He hopes it lasts. But, Coy Wire, I love hearing the joy and excitement in your voice as you're going through sports again.

Nice to see you, my friend.

WIRE: You, too. Thank you.

HILL: Let's hope they can all stay safe out there keep the games coming. Thank you. Well, the NHL, as Coy mentioned the next league to get going. The season restarts today with a slate of playoff qualifying games. All teams and officials will be playing in one of two secure zones, the so-called bubble. Like we've been talking so much about for the NBA players in Orlando.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the key to making it work is testing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY BETTMAN, NHL COMMISSIONER: We have 2,500 tests, players, 800 players were tested. They were all negative. The players are being tested everyday in the bubble as are all the other personnel in the bubble. And all the tests have been negative.

And so, we are feeling good about the fact that we've got a contained environment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Feeling good about that contained environment. Bill Daly is the deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League. Great to have you with us this morning.

And listen, when it comes to testing, we know that's key. But as I understand it, too, that's one of the reasons that these bubbles for the NHL are in Canada, correct?

BILL DALY, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, NHL: For sure. We wanted to pick communities that were relatively COVID-free or were experiencing good COVID numbers. And we delayed that decision as long as we could. At the end of the day, we and the player's association got together and determined that Edmonton and Toronto were our two best bets to house the bubble.

HILL: So as we get ready, you know, for the puck to drop here, as you look at what's happening with the NBA in Orlando, and you look at what we're seeing with the MLB and concerns that that season may be ending. What are you taking from each of those sports as a lesson?

DALY: Well, obviously we pay attention to what's going on in the other sports and we're interested and we share information. We share best practices to the extent we can, but we're each in different situations. And we have to be focused on our situation, what's best for our players, what protocols will work most effectively to preclude infection under the virus and so we proceeded that way from the start of this.

[11:44:49]

DALY: It's been a long 4.5 months. Very pleased to be in the position we're in, as you heard off the top from the commissioner. We are infection-free as we start our competition. But we also recognize that that could change at any time.

We have two months of competition ahead of us. And we have to remain vigilant. Our clubs have to remain vigilant. Our players, coaches, club staff have to remain vigilant in doing the right things, following the protocols, adhering to the protocols and staying safe.

HILL: Hockey is obviously a contact sport, as we all know. Did anything need to change in terms of how you're playing the game? What players need to wear?

DALY: We actually haven't changed any rules related to the game. Obviously we have our overarching set of protocols. My guess is the clubs or the players will change their behavior to reflect those protocols. But I think what you'll see today and in the days and weeks ahead is going to look like NHL hockey.

I think the game is going to continue to be physical. I think there's going to continue to be physical interaction. Players will just be safer.

HILL: Players will be safer. Well, I know there are plenty of fans who are getting ready to watch. So we're excited to see what comes.

Thank you for taking the time. Bill Daly, good to have you here.

DALY: Thank you for having me.

HILL: Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARANA BURKE, ACTIVIST: Trans women, disabled women, women of color, black women, people who are generally pushed to the margins in every other area are also at the forefront of the people experiencing sexual violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tarana Burke promoted the phrase MeToo in 2006 as a declaration of unity, bringing attention to sexual violence and harassment endured by marginalized women.

BURKE: It was inspired by my life, by being a black girl survivor who did not have a pathway to the healing process.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted about Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein's widespread harassment and urged women to share their own stories of abuse with Burke's #metoo.

BURKE: You had 12 million people in one day who came forward to say this thing has affect my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The movement was a reckoning for a number of high profile men and it led to new pushes for stronger victim's rights. But burke points out, there's still a lot of work to do.

BURKE: You cannot simply legislate for progress. If we don't have a cultural shift in this country, those laws and policies won't make a difference.

CROWD: Stop the violence.

BURKE: We believe you unnamed survivors.

CROWD: Yes.

BURKE: And we care.

This is a people's movement. It's a survivors' movement for anybody who has experienced sexual violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:47:45]

HILL: Well, health experts have been trying so hard to drive home the point that a face mask can, yes, save a life during a pandemic. They've been facing significant resistance from a number of Americans. Well now there's this new recommendation. Time for goggles and face shields?

Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Deborah Birx is now recommending adding a face shield in addition to wearing a mask. DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE COORDINATOR: The

thing about the face shield, we think that that could protect the individuals and that it would decrease the ability for them to touch their eyes and spread virus as well as those droplets coming towards them.

So there are two different technologies for two different reasons.

TODD: Her colleague, Dr. Anthony Fauci, spoke about teachers getting back to classrooms this year saying while they don't need to wear medical grade protective equipment --

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The minimal things you might want to do is you could use just a mask and eye goggles and possibly gloves.

TODD: Fauci later clarified that in CNN's Town Hall saying he wasn't recommending that all Americans should wear face shields. Still, all of this is raising questions about whether masks have been enough to protect us from coronavirus all these months.

DR. ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Masks will provide a very significant measure of protection. And what it really is doing is it's protecting everybody else from you. The point here is now that wearing a face shield could provide extra protection.

TODD: Experts say face shields or goggles are especially important for teachers who could be more vulnerable if they deal with younger children in classrooms.

SASKIA POPESCU, INFECTION PREVENTION EXPERT, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: We're likely to be in environments where children might pull down their masks or not be very compliant with them. And they might get coughs close to the face. There is concern that you could get respiratory droplets in the eyes.

TODD: But what about the rest of us. For that trip to the grocery store, should we be wearing masks and face shields?

DR. RIMOIN: The bottom line here is, at minimum, you should be wearing a mask. If you want to add a face shield, goggles, large glasses -- that is all going to help reduce spread.

TODD: Public health experts acknowledge getting large segments of the U.S. population to wear masks has been a struggle. People have balked at the discomfort, the inconvenience, the very principle of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Violation of my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) constitutional rights and my civil rights.

TODD: And there could be more resistance to the appeal to wear face shields. Many may complain that they're hard to find, balk at paying the extra money but experts have some reassurance.

[11:54:54] POPESCU: Really eye protection and face shields are much more

available and they're much cheaper than people realize. A lot of companies are able to print them and make them for a couple of dollars.

TODD: But health experts say those of us who may think that our standard eyeglasses or sunglasses are going to be able to take the place of a face shield or a set of goggles, think again. They say these standard glasses have too many gaps around the sides, above and below. You simply need the tighter fit of a face shield.

Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Coming up, Hurricane Isaias is closing in on the United States after crashing into the Caribbean, flooding streets, damaging buildings.

A live interview with the Red Cross on how they are preparing, just ahead.

[11:55:35]

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