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Dozen Dead, Thousands Wounded in Beirut Explosion; Trump Insists Virus is Under Control, But It's Not; Trump Suggests Administration Doing All It Can to Control Virus. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 05, 2020 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States. I'm Becky Anderson at our Middle East programming hub here in Abu Dhabi. We continue. With our breaking coverage of that massive blast in Beirut that rocked the entire city and indeed the region.

Well, Beirut is a city in shock. Mourning its dead and comforting its injured. This site, a monstrous explosion that ripped through the heart of the capital shocked the country and, indeed the world. The Lebanese no stranger to destruction, the country's history will tell you that. But listen to what some people there are saying about how this was different.

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PHILIPPE ARACTINGI, FILM DIRECTOR: I've seen war. I've filmed war. I went to (INAUDIBLE) in 2006. I went to the south Lebanon to see this, but it took 30 days to do the same destruction. We had it in one explosion. It is a catastrophe. I've never seen something like that.

KARL DAGHER, WITNESS: I was thinking, we were just sifting through the rumors, hearing all the rumors and trying to understand what happened. Because there was lots of confusion, lots of rage that this could happen. With everything it's happening in the country now, the cherry on top there comes massive negligence or we don't know what it is or an act of terror. We really don't understand.

[04:05:00]

But it's just -- and on top of all that you have to worry about wearing your facemask because you don't want to get coronavirus in the hospital for treating a small wound. So I think outreach would be the correct word to express what I'm feeling right now.

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ANDERSON: Well across the city buildings bore the brunt of the blast's sheer force. This is just one example. Mohamad Najem, saying quote, I found myself flying back from the hit. I thought the building was going down. Well, Mohamad is on the line from Beirut. You describe a truly terrifying experience. Thoughts and prayers with the people of Beirut this morning. Where were you in relation to the blast and what happened, Mohamad?

MOHAMAD NAJEM, WITNESSED EXPLOSION, BEIRUT, LEBANON: Good morning, Becky. I was around 200 meter or 300 meter away from the port itself. (INAUDIBLE) out ministries for all the hitting part of the city happened. I was in my house and I was one of the lucky ones that I stayed alive. There's a lot of old houses that exist on this street as well. They were demolished on top of their inhabitants. The number have raised to 100 people. There's still a lot of missing people. The scene is really catastrophic. I mean, this is really the worst thing I've ever seen, even worse than 2006 war that I also witnessed.

ANDERSON: Mohamad, how are people coping this morning?

NAJEM: I think, I think we're still under the -- this is a big (INAUDIBLE), I mean what's happened is really huge. Is really big. Everyone now with strength to clear their places, to clean their houses. Try to connect with each other. Try to make sure everyone they know is safe or not. Just try to define how big the catastrophe is. But I really think after that there's going to a huge process or huge demand for more accountability, for more transparency, for more rule of law and more judicial independence.

Because what really happened is not something that was surprising for many of us. Because we're living in a country where in the last 30 years, we have this political oligarchy that controls the political scene and they control all the institution and they control all the positions, all the agencies. And this is full of corruption, and it's full of neglect, ignorance. So there was no surprise that this was a decision that happened as a result, this explosion happened. And also the last year or so we have this economic collapse. We have the banks are taking our money. There's no corrupt person in jail. No one in charge of what's happening. We have --

ANDERSON: Mohamad, the Prime Minister says that the explosion was at the site of explosive materials that have been stored at the port for some six years. He's vowed to conduct a thorough investigation and to hold those responsible to account. Given what you've just said, do you trust this government is equipped to cope with this disaster and will be transparent in its efforts to get to the bottom of what happened?

NAJEM: This government is not equipped. This government is very weak. It's been appointed by that same political oligarchy. The Prime Minister is weak. They can't say anything else than that. They can say they will do an investigation. Already there's a lot of blame going around and their blaming (INAUDIBLE), the judge or some decision that making that by some judge somewhere. Really the problem is -- or I also see some places where they are blaming the concierges of this store that they were trying to equipment or some kind of work in the afternoon yesterday.

I think really, I don't trust this state. People don't trust them. I don't think there's going to be any result. ANDERSON: There are offers of support flooding in, not just from the

region but importantly from the region but around the world. As a citizen of Beirut, when you reflect on what happened last night where you are this morning, what does this city need, Mohamad?

NAJEM: I think many people have lost their places where they live, tens of thousands of people. I mean, I think from the top of my head, because of the port as well there's a lot of medical, there's a lot of food in it as well. Because we import 80 percent of everything we consume. So most of it has been vanished.

[04:10:00]

So basically whatever has vanished is the need of the people of the city. Otherwise there will be starvation. There's going to be less medicine around especially with COVID-19. So definitely medical support, definitely food is the most urgent thing.

ANDERSON: Mohamad, we will leave it there. We thank you very much, indeed.

NAJEM: Thank you, Becky.

ANDERSON: And our condolences. We'll continue to cover this story and stay on it.

Let's turn now to the substance believed to be the cause of the deadly explosion. Ammonium nitrate. The Lebanese Prime Minister says 2,750 tons of it was stored at Beirut port. Now just to put that into perspective, only about two tons of ammonium nitrate was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in the U.S.

Well, ammonium nitrate is used to make explosives. It reacts when any kind of energy is applied to it. Knowing how dangerous it is, now questions are being raised over why it was stored so close to a densely-populated area.

Well, for the very latest developments let's get to our reporter CNN's Jomana Karadsheh who is monitoring things from Istanbul for you this morning. And let's begin with the situation on the ground. And tragically the death toll continues to climb as does the number of those injured -- Jomana.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Becky, as you know, Beirut very well. This is a city that has seen it all. But it has seen nothing like this. By all accounts everyone would tell you they have gone through wars, terror attacks, the spat of assassinations in 2004 and '05. Nothing like this. It is a city devastated. The Lebanese government has declared it a devastated city. This is a national emergency.

They have said you've got entire neighborhoods as you heard from your guest early on, entire neighborhoods that have been decimated by this blast. Search-and-rescue operations are, of course, ongoing but with very limited capabilities. We've heard authorities there straight after the blast calling for more support, for emergency services, for medical services to be heading into Beirut to help them with the first response to this incident.

According to the house minister, Becky, at least 80 people have been killed. These are the confirmed dead bodies that have been retrieved according to the health minister. More than 4,000 people injured. But they are warning these numbers are going to rise. There are people who are buried underneath the rubble. There are so many people who are still unaccounted for. So many people in Beirut are searching for their loved ones. Dozens either people going to hospitals, frantically looking for their loved ones or we're seeing so many posts on social media, photos of those missing phone numbers looking for them. (INAUDIBLE) --

And Jomana, Save the Children, saying there are likely many children killed, injured and traumatized. It does sound as if we're having technical difficulties with Jomana who is reporting for you from Istanbul.

But as I was saying, Save the Children sadly saying there are likely many children affected, killed, injured and traumatized in what has been a devastating explosion at the port in Beirut. The impact felt across the city and indeed around the region. We'll continue bringing you the very latest from here.

For the time being it's back to Atlanta and Rosemary Church who is following our other top story, of course, the coronavirus pandemic.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: All right, thank you so much, Becky. We'll be back with you in just a moment.

Well, the coronavirus is spreading out of control in parts of the U.S. despite President Trump's claim that it's not. And we will look at some of the hot spots. We're back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: We are looking at live pictures here from Beirut in Lebanon. Three days of mourning in the aftermath of this explosion. We don't know the cause of it. What we do know from the Red Cross that some 100 people have been killed, 4,000 have been injured. Of course those numbers the death toll is expected to rise with many more people still missing. So looking at those live pictures in the aftermath of this devastating and deadly explosion in Beirut at the port there. And we will continue to follow this, of course.

But let's go to our other main story that we've been following. The coronavirus death toll in the United States is now nearing 157,000 cases. President Trump is defending his administration's response to the pandemic, claiming it's under control even though his own health experts say it is not.

On Tuesday, the President also tweeted this photo and noted he had a, quote, great meeting with the coronavirus task force in the Oval Office. The last time he attended an official task force meeting was back in April, according to a CNN source. And it's not clear what led to the change.

And while the President insists the pandemic is under control cases are still surging in some parts of the country. CNN's Erica Hill shows us some of the hot spots.

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DR. JAY VARKEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Our national response to this pandemic should be a national embarrassment.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's under control, as much as you can control it.

VARKEY: The data that actually comes from the White House Task Force backs up exactly what Dr. Birx said. There is uncontrolled spread in over 32 states in the country.

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six months into this pandemic, the virus is not under control, despite the president's claims, cases surging in Southern Illinois.

[04:20:00]

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): The data can tell you if you're winning or losing against the virus. Unfortunately, right now, the virus is winning in Jackson County.

HILL: Early gains giving way to spikes in San Francisco.

FELIX CASTILLO, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC TRANSIT BUS DRIVER: People pretty much finding complacency. They weren't scared anymore of what was going on.

HILL: And while there are some bright spots -- California's positivity rate is declining, and 14 states, including Arizona and Florida, are seeing a dip in new cases over the past week -- of the 28 states in yellow, those holding steady, many are plateauing at a very high level.

DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH: I think these new levels are going to make what we have had already seemed like, boy, I wish we were back in the old days.

HILL: Deaths, which lag by at least two to four weeks, are rising in 27 states, Arkansas and West Virginia seeing record hospitalizations, Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center now a surge hospital again.

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA: It saddens me that we are still heading in the wrong direction so many months after we had an opportunity to get on the other side of COVID-19.

HILL: In Georgia's largest school district, 260 employees can't work because they have either tested positive or been exposed to the virus. Two new studies suggest testing and contact tracing, still lacking, are the key to reopening schools. KELLEY FISHER, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: We don't want to endanger one student, one teacher, one support professional, one community member.

HILL: Teachers in one Phoenix district calling on the governor to issue statewide safety mandates, as Arizona's top education official warns it's unlikely any school in that state will be able to reopen safely for in-person or hybrid learning.

DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: If you just look at the facts, the U.S. has about 4 percent of the world's population and about a quarter of the cases, 25 percent of the cases. We definitely have a problem here in the U.S.

HILL (on camera): Mississippi's governor ordering a statewide mask mandate for the next two weeks. He says this will help get kids to schools. That mandate, by the way, will apply to schools, to both teachers and students. However, the governor also delaying in-person learning in some of the state's hot spots for those in grades 7 through 12.

In New York I'm Erica Hill, CNN.

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CHURCH: Joining me now is Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips. A CNN medical analyst and chief clinical officer for Providence Health System overseeing clinical care at dozens of U.S. hospitals. Thank you, doctor, for being with us and for everything do you.

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Now I do want to start with that extraordinary interview President Trump did with Axios. The President tried to say the coronavirus was under control and said it is what it is, referring to the soaring death toll. And he added that his administration was doing all it can. What's your reaction to his suggestion he's done all he can.

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: My reaction is that that is akin to throwing in the white towel. I do not believe we've done all we can. We've had over 150,000 Americans die of this disease. Compared to other countries, that's an astounding death rate. We've got, you know, children trying to figure out how to bury their parents. This is not OK. It cannot be what it is. And we can't get complacent and just accept it. We have to keep fighting.

CHURCH: And doctor, in that same interview President Trump didn't appear to understand the fundamentals of this pandemic. Fumbling questions on the country's death rate. He doesn't look at deaths as proportion of population. He looks as deaths of proportion of cases which of course makes him look a little better. What was your response to that part of the interview? And what's the most reliable way to analyze these numbers and of course, compare them to other nations to see where the U.S. and other nations sit?

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: He keeps arguing that we're doing more testing, ergo we're finding more cases. We're finding more cases because we have more cases. And the thing that you can't deny is we have more people dying of this disease. And so, if you just follow deaths per population that is as valid as any other measure, we can get to look across different countries. And the U.S. very unfortunately excels in that measure. It's not one we want to lead in and unfortunately, it's one that we stand out for.

CHURCH: Yes, and doctor, in the President's briefing Tuesday he said his testing efforts have been incredible and then falsely claimed people were getting tests back in a matter of minutes. Now that might be his own personal experience at the White House but certainly not for everyone else. Do you think he doesn't understand what's going on across America when it comes to testing or do you think he's trying to mislead us?

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: You know, it's hard to put myself in the mind of the President. I can say that people that go into the White House get an immediate test.

[04:25:00]

And so, his personal experience might be telling him something different than the rest of the country is experiencing. But the rest of the country is not getting that kind of service. You know, if we had and what we're working on developing now is an inexpensive antigen tests, not one of the complex tests that you have to mail out. If we can do that at a couple dollars a day, we could do that for every person every day, right. The way they're doing it at the White House. That is not what exists. So it might exist in his mind. It doesn't exist in reality on the ground.

CHURCH: And our thanks to Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips for her perspective there.

And more than 3.7 million people are without power as a huge storm makes its way up the East Coast of the United States. Isaias is now a post-tropical cyclone. That's according to National Hurricane Center. The storm has killed at least five people including several people whose deaths are being blamed on falling trees. And there have been preliminary reports of more than 30 tornadoes along the East Coast.

And this is CNN NEWSROOM. Coming up we will head back to Becky Anderson for the very latest on that deadly explosion in Beirut.

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ANDERSON: The news from Beirut. The number of dead now, at least 100. From what was a massive explosion that leveled the city's port. The Red Cross says at least 4,000 people were hurt. Well today, there's a national day of mourning in Lebanon.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

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