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Stimulus Talks Break Down, Negotiators Walk Away Without Deal; NYC Schools Cleared For In-Person Classes This Fall; Florida Reports 8,425 New Coronavirus Cases, 182 New Deaths; Bikers Gather In South Dakota For 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally; Reimposed Restrictions Credited For Arizona's Downward Trend; School Districts Across U.S. Weigh Reopening; Protests Erupt In Beirut Over Deadly Explosion. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 08, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:01]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me, I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with disappointment and dismay setting in cross the country. Talks of a new stimulus package breaking down without a resolution, and at this point, no plans to resume. Negotiations were stalling on Friday after nearly two weeks of discussions between Republicans and Democrats.

Now the deal was supposed to be a lifeline for millions of Americans out of work and hurting financially from the coronavirus pandemic. And a new study says 40 million Americans face eviction after protections expired two weeks ago.

President Trump telling a crowd of supporters that if the deal is not reached, he will use an executive order to secure a payroll tax deferment and extend unemployment benefits. Not sure if he has the legal authority to do that, however.

All of that as the coronavirus in the U.S. nears five million cases. Another 1,200 people died from the disease on Friday alone bringing the total deaths in our country to over 161,000.

Meanwhile, schools are beginning to reopen. In Georgia, at least 260 students and eight teachers are quarantined following positive test results during the first week of classes. While in New York, once the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus, all schools have been given cleared to reopen.

And let's start in Washington where talks between Republicans and Democrats have broken down without a new deal -- pretty disappointing.

CNN Sarah Westwood is live at the White House. Is there any indication that these negotiations will get back on track now?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Bianna, there's not. It appears as though those talks have just completely collapsed.

And after two weeks of meeting nearly daily between White House negotiators and congressional Democrats there's just a remarkable lack of progress there. The two sides could not even come to an agreement on what the price tag for that stimulus bill should look like. So they were not even able to get to the many other sticking points about the mechanics of the bill, what would actually be in it.

The President, though, threatened to move forward with executive actions that some officials on Capitol Hill had suggested were just a leveraging tactic that the White House was trying to use to force Democrats to the table. That was obviously unsuccessful. And the President accused Democrats of holding the stimulus talks hostage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Democrats continue to hold this critical relief hostage, I will act under my authority as president to get Americans the relief they need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WESTWOOD: Now, as you mentioned, Bianna, it's not clear that the President actually has the legal authority to issue those executive orders. And I want to walk you through some of what the President has pledged to do.

One of them is a payroll tax deferment. That's something that Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to get into several rounds of stimulus negotiations. Also, extending the federal moratorium on evictions, trying to keep people in their homes. That moratorium had lapsed just a couple weeks ago. Deferring student loan payments, forgiving the interest on those payments.

And also crucially, extending the enhanced unemployment benefits. That's the extra $600 a week that people were getting up until the end of July that was also allowed to expire. Democrats had wanted to continue it into next year at that $600 level but Republicans wanted something much smaller.

And last night the President would not commit to a $600 figure. So It's not clear exactly where that money will come from and how much assistance people will be getting.

And Bianna, the President is in New Jersey right now. We know that he is going to be holding a press conference later today. It's very likely that this will come up. It did yesterday.

But just to give you an idea of how far apart things were when the talks fell apart last night, Democrats wanted something in the neighborhood of $2 trillion, and in fact, Schumer had said that he did not even think Democrats had enough votes to pass anything less. While some Republicans didn't even think there should be a bill and didn't think anything much above the $1 trillion figure could pass the GOP senate, Bianna. GOLODRYGA: So interesting, Sarah, the President who wasn't really

involved throughout this negotiations through much of it is now saying I alone can deal with this and can handle it. We'll see where this executive order takes him.

Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Well, in New York, the governor has authorized that all school districts will reopen with in-person learning. That includes New York City schools, the largest public school district in the country. That decision comes as some school districts across the country have already returned to class and experienced a wave of positive cases.

For more on this let's bring in Evan McMorris-Santoro. And Evan, we've been working on this topic for a few months now. What's behind New York's decision to give this green light for schools reopening? We've been waiting for this one.

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, Bianna, you're right.

We've been working on this and working on this. This is a big moment to see what New York was going to do.

[11:04:54]

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: And essentially Governor Andrew Cuomo looked at the numbers in this state -- the numbers of infections, the numbers of new cases, the infection rate and said, look, it's safe. Schools can open.

But that doesn't mean that schools are necessarily going to because he left the planning for opening to individual school districts and also left proving to parents that the plans are safe to individual districts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: All school districts across New York state are cleared to open for in-person classes, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in a press conference Friday over the phone.

GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: Today is the deadline to look at the infection rates and make a determination. By our infection rates all school districts can open everywhere in the state.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Each school district across New York was required to submit their proposed plans for reopening by this week. And the plans differ across the state but all schools can open.

There's 749 school districts in New York state. All are required to submit plans. Governor Cuomo noted 127 of them still have yet to do so. Cuomo added that they will watch the infection rate between now and the dates schools are scheduled to reopen. And if the rates spike, they'll revisit the plans.

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES SPECIALIST: Across the country, we have varying conditions in the communities. For the most part, this virus is out of control.

So, I understand the anxiety of the parents and we grandparents. We have a high schooler going back and someone going to college, we're worried about all that.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: In the state of Georgia, at least 260 students and eight teachers from the Cherokee County School District are quarantined after several individuals tested positive for COVID-19 during the first week of school.

The district returned to in-person classes on August 3rd. In statements posted on their Web site, the school district has reported positive cases in at least 11 students and two staff members. Students and staff who had possible exposure with a positive case have been told to quarantine for 14 days since their possible exposure. Cherokee County families had a choice of in-person or digital learning.

At North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia a crowded high school hallway as students change classes. Sophomore Hannah Watters took this photo and posted it to twitter. It went viral.

HANNAH WATTERS, NORTH PAULDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I was very concerned for everyone in that building and everyone in our county because this is obviously nowhere near safe. And especially because there's been multiple people getting tested or multiple people testing positive inside the county from August 3rd when we opened back up.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Initially Watters was suspended for taking and posting the photo. But Friday we learned her suspension had been reversed.

While many schools in this country have or will have mandates for mask wearing, Watters' high school did not.

DR. JUDITH FEINBERG, FELLOW, INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY OF AMERICA: From an infectious diseases position, I think that universal masking is the most effective tool we have right now in addition to social distancing to get any control of this terrible pandemic.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing in children, teens and young adults according to health experts. The U.S. is nearing five million cases, with more than 160,000 deaths as coronavirus testing declines in 29 states compared to last week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Now Bianna, when you watch that package it may seem like we're telling two different stories there, right. The story of New York where the virus is relatively a good story right now and the story of Georgia where it remains not such a great story.

But honestly when it comes to the schools, we're telling one story because what Andrew Cuomo said in his press conference about the schools was that essentially the deal here is that the schools need to convince parents that it's safe to reopen. They need to make people trust that their kids will be safe in school and teachers trust that it will be safe to go to work in schools.

But when you look at pictures of places like Georgia, that hallway full of people, a school that said it was safe and knows what it's doing, those don't inspire a lot of confidence in people. And that's really what the school story will be going forward. How do you avoid pictures like that that make parents not want to engage with school? And how do you get school to open in a way that everyone feels is safe? Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Right. It's all about trust and confidence, Evan. You are so right. And even though the infection rate here in New York is low, there's still concerns about proper ventilation in schools and if there are adequate nurses. So this is still a big concern for both teachers and parents and local administrators.

But I will see you on this beat as we continue to cover this story. Evan McMorris-Santoro, thank you so much.

Well, Dr. Pritesh Gandhi is a primary care physician and a pediatrician. Doctor, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

[11:09:58]

GOLODRYGA: And I want to start with this tweet that you sent out about schools reopening. You said, "I am an f'ing doctor," we know what that word is. I can't say it on television. "I lead a health clinic in east Austin and treat COVID patients. America is out of its mind thinking we are even remotely prepared for school this fall. We're definitely not ready. And if people say we are, it's either out of ignorance or arrogance."

What is it that you are seeing on the ground there that prompted that dire warning?

DR. PRITESH GANDHI, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, INTERNIET AND PEDIATRICIAN: You know, I think that I can speak for a number of physicians and public health experts by saying that we are frustrated because these conversations that we continue to have happen in the abstract.

We talk about data and we're talking about metrics when the reality is that those of us on the ground are seeing the effects of a crumbling public health and medical infrastructure that cannot keep pace with the turn around time required for COVID testing and school systems regionally and statewide and nationally that simply aren't prepared to I think in a safe and effective way deal with school reopening.

I mean think there are data-driven approaches to how to do school reopenings safely and we're just not there yet in many regions.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And Doctor, I have spoken with experts who say that cases in schools are inevitable and that they can be contained if they're diagnosed quickly followed by rapid contact tracing. But it's officially a game over if the results in averaging -- results coming in average four to ten days. Would you agree with that given the length that people are now waiting to get their results? You can't contact trace.

DR. GANDHI: Yes. I mean you can't do anything. There's actually no utility of doing testing if you're not able to do appropriate contact tracing if the results take 10 to 14 days to come back.

But look, let's take a step back for a second and just say outwardly that children need to be in school. I mean I've got three young kids at home. They need to be in public school. But until we can get the percent positivity rate below 5 percent and until we can get cases less than 25 per 100,000 over a two-week period per day, we're not taking the necessary steps.

So we have choices to make, right. And governors have choices to make. What do you value? Keeping your bars open, keeping indoor dining opening. Or do you value children going back to school? It's a choice.

And we have policy solutions, policy instruments that can facilitate school reopening, but we've got to make those tough choices. I'm just not seeing that happen in many states.

GOLODRYGA: And so many wonder if we prioritize some of those choices that we had to make over the past six months as well as children. As you mentioned, mine too. They need to go back to school but we need to have it done safely.

Dr. Pritesh Gandhi, thank you so much.

DR. GANDHI: Happy to be here. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: What about the growing mental health concerns? Well, it's not just for parents but for children, too. Could the pandemic have a psychological impact on kids inside and outside the classroom.

Plus a massive ten-day motorcycle rally in South Dakota, you heard that, expecting to draw up to 250,000 people during a pandemic. Hospitals have so-called COVID beds on standby. Could this become the site of yet another hot spot?

And breaking right now, protests erupting in Beirut after a massive explosion levelled downtown injuring thousands. We'll take you there live.

[11:13:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: We want to update you on news out of Florida and it's not good. The state is now reporting over 8,000 new coronavirus cases and 182 new deaths. This marks the sixth time in eight days that Florida has reported more than 120 deaths in a single day.

CNN's Natasha Chen joins me now.

Natasha, not good developments. What are you learning? NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well the 8,425 new cases

reported in a single day is not their record number, but it is still very significant. And as you said, the death numbers are very troubling because this is, again, the sixth day this month that the state is reporting more than 120 deaths in a single day.

Keep in mind, that the reporting of deaths is often delayed because it takes some time to confirm the cause of death when people pass. There are now more than half a million cases among residents in Florida, an additional 6,000 or so cases from out of state, folks who are visiting.

But again, that's 526,577 total cases now reported by the state of Florida. And in total, Florida has reported 8,100 resident deaths to date. That's more than 8,000 people in Florida who have died from COVID-19 since this pandemic began.

So Bianna, we also want to mention that the storm last week caused some testing sites to close. So we may be seeing some delayed effects of lower testing numbers, but we're not sure exactly how much that has influenced these numbers.

GOLODRYGA: That state continues to be ravaged.

Natasha Chen, thank you.

And despite the news out of Florida, thousands of bikers will roll into South Dakota today for the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Some 250,000 people expected to attend from all over the country and, of course, that's frustrating some local leaders.

CNN's Ryan Young joins me now from Sturgis.

Ryan, are attendees concerned at all about the coronavirus?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? So far the folks that we've talked to say they are not concerned at all. This is all a part of their freedom. That's what we keep hearing over and over again.

They want to ride free in the mountains and have a good time. They also want to not worry about wearing a mask. So when you look up and down the street here, and this is pretty early, so you don't see as many crowds as the last few hours.

But you can see people as they're coming in your direction, they are not wearing masks. There's not a lot of social distancing. People are coming in their groups; they're staying within their groups.

[11:19:55]

YOUNG: We'll show you some of the video that we shot last night. These crowds swell to thousands and thousands of people. Look, we've been told by people who helped organize this, they're going to do everything they can to make sure that people have sanitizing stations. That if they feel like wearing a mask, they can wear a mask. But when they're outside in these wonderful elements that are here because the weather has been pretty good, people feel like they don't need to. They feel like the fresh air some folks say will move the virus along.

But take a listen to one of the bikers who talked to us yesterday just about the passion for this event and the reason why they wouldn't stop coming.

Ok. So apparently we don't have that sound. But we were told by some of the riders here that there was no way they weren't going to make it here for this 80th. They wanted to make sure that this largest event that they have across this country -- we have seen people come from Nevada, from Florida, from New York -- they've been riding for days to get to this event.

And we're told the numbers should swell over the next few hours because Sunday is the big opening day. There will be concerts. It will be interesting to see.

Now people point to Mount Rushmore and the Fourth of July event for Donald Trump. There wasn't a lot of surge of cases after that. So they believe by coming here to South Dakota they won't have to face large numbers of the coronavirus.

The state did add 98 new people to the total of coronavirus cases yesterday. But the case level is pretty low in terms of all the other states across the country.

GOLODRYGA: That's a risky gamble. I understand they want their freedom but they also need to focus on their health as well. I think back to what Sanjay Gupta said. If people could actually see the virus instead of it being invisible they may change their mind in terms of their actions.

Ryan Young, thank you so much. Stay safe out there.

Well, mask mandates and reimposed social distancing measures are being credited for saving lives in Arizona. The state now on a downward trend just weeks after new infections skyrocketed, forcing the governor to take action.

CNN's Miguel Marquez has more on what's been happening in Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Arizona at a crossroads. Cases decreasing but still a lot of virus out there just in time for high season in the desert.

WILL HUMBLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARIZONA PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION: We have got to get our act in order now to prepare for the fall when the winter visitors return, when the cold and flu season returns.

MARQUEZ: In addition, some 70,000 students will soon return to Arizona State University, tens of thousands more to universities statewide and many K through 12 schools are expected to begin soon, offering at least limited in-person instruction. Arizona in a race to tame its outbreak.

HUMBLE: To think that this virus is in control I think is a mistake. And I've heard people say that.

MARQUEZ: The state's positivity rate has dropped from more than 27 percent in July to just over 16 percent now. Guidelines for fully reopening schools here say the positivity rate among other factors should be at 5 percent or lower on a two-week rolling average.

REGINA ROMERO, MAYOR -- TUCSON, ARIZONA: When Governor Ducey decided to open up the state, we were at 18 cases per day.

MARQUEZ: In this --

ROMERO: In Pima County.

MARQUEZ: Right.

ROMERO: Yesterday we had 283 cases. And that's a good day.

MARQUEZ: Like all local officials, Tucson's mayor was barred in May and early June from issuing mask orders. Arizona's governor reversed himself on June 17th, reimposed restrictions on businesses and allowed localities to require masks in public.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We saw in Arizona which was a good example. They went up and they started to really clamp down and do things right. And the cases came right down.

MARQUEZ: But Arizona has a long way to go. Before reopening, Arizona's daily case count was in the hundreds. By July 1st, it was nearly 5,000 new cases everyday. Today the state is seeing about 1,500 cases daily.

Much of the spread attributed to the state's reopening too aggressively. Even some business owners agree.

LEON ESPINOZA, OWNER, ESPO'S MEXICAN FOOD: It went crazy. It was as if they declared that the pandemic was over.

MARQUEZ: Espo's has dished up Mexican food for 56 years. Its owner Leon Espinoza shut his own restaurant down until the spread of the virus slowed.

ESPINOZA: Took on this big financial hit so that we could concentrate on being safe. Our health and well being is the foremost important thing here at the business.

MARQUEZ: The Grand Canyon State learning that lesson the hard way.

Miguel Marquez, CNN -- Phoenix.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GOLODRYGA: And let's hope this trend continues for Arizona. Up ahead, the mental health cost on our kids. How are they coping with the pandemic? And how could there be any long-term impact? We'll talk about that coming up.

[11:24:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: As we have been talking about this morning, the New York school system, the largest in the country, now has the go ahead to start in-classroom learning. And in Georgia where the school year has already begun for many, hundreds of students and a few teachers have been quarantined after just one week of classes. As schools grapple with how to resume teaching, there are growing concerns over the potential psychological impact on students.

Dr. Tyler Black is medical director of emergency psychiatry at the British Columbia Children's Hospital and joins me now to discuss.

Doctor, thanks so much for joining us. I want to begin by bringing up what some influential groups are saying, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. They said the goal should be to get kids back into a real classroom as soon as possible, as safely as possible obviously. You're not sure about that advice. Why not?

[11:29:54]

DR. TYLER BLACK, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY PSYCHIATRY, BRITISH COLUMBIA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Thanks, Bianna, for having me.

It's an important question that has nuance. Of course, school is important for children. And education is crucial for childhood development.

However, safety often has to take a priority. And what we often see is this black and white thinking that it's either return to class or not return to class for children's mental health.

But of course children's mental health are affected by a number of things. And prior to the pandemic, one of my full-time jobs was helping kids who are overloaded with school, fights with parents, suicidal thinking, bullying, teasing, social exclusion, racism, homophobia. Schools haven't always been places of safe haven for mental health.

And so, I just want to add that nuance that it could be that schools, in fact, need to be different than they were before if they're going to be safer.

GOLODRYGA: And yet aside from scholastic achievement and development and social development with their peers, we know that so many children rely on going to school for at least two meals a day, not to mention that in terms of sexual abuse at home or child abuse in general, that's usually reported in large part by teachers and school administrators. We're not seeing that now because kids aren't in a classroom. Doesn't that concern you?

DR. BLACK: Absolutely it does. And it's one of the roles that school has taken on that's beyond the educational mandate. And though it is the way things have been, it makes me wonder why isn't there more of a social focus for supporting underprivileged kids outside of school during non-school months? And why isn't there, you know, a similar focus on helping kids who may be victims of abuse?

Relying on schools to do that is a burden that education was never meant to take on. So, there's opportunity to change the way things used to be. And I just want to remind people that in emergency psychiatry, school months and school days are the months and days associated most with psychiatric distress -- suicidal thinking, suicidal attempts and completed suicides. So, schools themselves can be a cause of stress.

GOLODRYGA: And yet school administrators are focused so much now just on maintaining safety protocols during a pandemic. It's hard to see how they could focus on those other important issues.

You know, in the next hour of the show, I have a report on working moms who are having to sacrifice and give up their careers right now because of the pandemic so that they can stay home, maybe from an economic standpoint because it's just not advantageous for them to pay someone to watch their kids while they're at work or just because they're seeing the psychological impact on their children.

But what impact are you seeing mentally in terms of what parents are going through right now?

DR. BLACK: Well, of course, parents always think about the safety of their children first. And this is such an overwhelming time. There's the safety of is it safe to go because of the infection and the pandemic? And then there's the what's the long-term impact on my child?

Of course, every parent wants their child to be the most successful version of themselves possible so there's a lot of pressure on families. And we know that in family units in North America this disproportionately affects women in the family. So, I think women in North America, as well as all parents, but especially women, are under a tremendous amount of pressure and we're seeing that daily.

GOLODRYGA: It's really a trying time for families all across this country. And an important reminder to just ask each other how they're doing and help each other out through a pandemic -- a once-in-a- lifetime experience.

Dr. Tyler Black, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

DR. BLACK: Thanks for having me, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And we have breaking news to bring you right now overseas. Outrage in Lebanon after it is revealed that massive explosion that leveled the city of Beirut could have been prevented. Protesters are now clashing with police and we're going to take you there live coming up next.

[11:33:48]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Now to the breaking news out of Beirut. Violent protests erupting in the Lebanese capital and we're getting reports of injuries. People there are visibly outraged and they're blaming their own government, accusing it of negligence after that massive explosion which left nearly 160 people dead and more than 6,000 injured. Dozens are still missing. And many are now homeless.

Let's go to CNN's Sam Kiley who is on the ground there. Sam, you can understand the anger and frustration among those protesters. They're blaming their own government for incompetence.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And I don't think there's anything other than documentary evidence for that incompetence which has fueled in part these demonstrations. There have been two successive heads of the customs here in Lebanon who've asked for judicial review to force the removal of 2,750 tons that was stored in a warehouse just over there in front of those silos.

Now, the location of that warehouse has been evaporated and reclaimed by the sea in an area about the size of a football pitch as this enormous explosion erupted across Beirut. Some of the demonstrators there have been calling for whoever is responsible for this incompetence to be hung from the surviving cranes in the port behind me. There have though been some scenes of violence with at least 22 people taken to the hospital.

I'm standing here close to the scene of the explosion, a little bit away from the demonstrations. I wouldn't say a steady stream but regular ambulances have been traveling past in both directions collecting injured. The Red Cross also saying that more than four score -- over 80 people have been treated at the scene.

And the demonstration hasn't been going that long, but many, many thousands of people -- young, old, families, people from across the sectarian divide, of course, which has often been the curse of Lebanon, have been at least united it would appear in condemnation of their government.

[11:39:55]

KILEY: Several MPs, at least five, have left the parliament, resigning over these issues. But other powerful elements within the parliament are most certainly so far refusing to go, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: It would be remiss not to note that these protests are taking place during a pandemic and people are not socially distancing, obviously. We have seen images where not everyone is wearing masks. But of course, we can understand their frustration and our thoughts are with the people in Lebanon who have gone through so much already. Sam Kiley, thank you so much.

And to find out ways to help those impacted by this explosion, please visit our Web site CNN.com/impact. There are also ways you can find to help people affected by COVID-19.

And next, the President recorded on a hot mic, railing against the media and claiming a lot of good things are happening for the country.

And this year marks the 100th anniversary of American women getting the right to vote.

Our series "Represented" celebrates the suffragette spirit by highlighting modern change makers.

Today we meet Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad whose religious devotion and athleticism are breaking barriers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IBTIHAJ MUHAMMAD, OLYMPIC FENCER: To be the first Muslim woman to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in hijab, I knew that my journey was bigger than me.

I have early memories of being bullied. People referring to my hijab in derogatory terms or even using racial epithets towards me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready? Fence.

MUHAMMAD: I discovered fencing at 12 years old. My mom and I were driving past the local high school, and we saw fencers. They were fully covered. It was the first time in my life where I didn't have to address the uniform. My parents didn't have to run to a sporting goods store and buy long sleeve or buy spandex to go underneath team shorts. I really thrived.

I qualified for my first Olympic team in 2016. There was a lot of talk about a proposed Muslim ban, and I never shied away from using my platform to change the narrative for my community.

For Mattel to create a Barbie in my likeness was probably the highlight of my career. I know what it means to little girls who are brown who wear hijabs who fence. If I wanted Team USA to look different, I had to be the change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: An inspiration for so many. CNN is exploring the past, the present and the future of women's rights in the U.S. and around the world. Be sure to check out more of this reporting at CNN.com/represented.

[11:42:42]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) GOLODRYGA: Caught on a hot mic. The President speaking candidly to his supporters ahead of a scheduled press conference. Reporters were in the room awaiting the President's remarks. And here is what he said just moments before the cameras started rolling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Hello, everybody. Hello, everybody. Thank you. So we're going to do a press conference. And I thought you were here. You might as well come in and see. You'll get to meet the fake news tonight.

You'll get to see what I have to go through. All my killers are there. Wow. So you'll get to see some of the people that we deal with everyday.

It's like a history lesson for your children. Tell your children about it.

But we have a lot of good news about the economy. A lot of good things happened today. Otherwise I wouldn't have a press conference. So that's it. So enjoy it. And we'll be out in a little while. They'll be coming probably 15 minutes.

Thanks a lot, everybody. Enjoy it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: So here to discuss is Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason. He's also the former president of the White House Correspondent's Association.

Jeff, thanks so much for coming on. You were at the President's Club last night after he made these remarks. What was the atmosphere like with reporters and the President's supporters in the same room for a news conference? And what is your reaction to what you just heard?

You know, he's been president for three years now. And you still can't justify this as anything normal coming out of the mouth of the U.S. President.

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: Indeed. It was an unusual atmosphere, Bianna.

Certainly the fact that he was holding a press conference with reporters from the White House press corps against a backdrop of supporters who, as you played in that clip, were basically brought in or set up to be present and observers and then participants. Because later in the press conference they booed and they clapped. Particularly after one of our colleagues asked the President a question about setting the example by having that many people in a small space in New Jersey and initially not wearing masks. So, it was unusual for sure.

As far as his remarks, I mean, we have rejected from the very beginning the description of reporters as being fake news. And continue to do so. GOLODRYGA: And yet I just want to reiterate what the President said.

"A lot of good things happened today, otherwise I wouldn't have a press conference."

[11:49:50]

GOLODRYGA: Jeff, I don't have to remind you, we're the middle of a pandemic. How concerned should people be by the President who only seems to want to address the nation when there's, quote, "good news"?

MASON: Well, the President likes very much to emphasize the good news. And I think what he was referring to there were the jobs numbers from yesterday.

Of course, there are two ways to look at those jobs numbers. There was some good news in there, but there was also a sign that job growth was slowing.

But broadly to your question, Bianna, obviously no matter what the President decides to emphasize in a press conference like that, you can't paint over the fact that 156,000 people have died of the coronavirus, that President Trump downplayed the virus for months, that only in the last couple weeks he decided to start wearing a mask himself in public and encouraging others to wear a mask in public. So, he can emphasize what he likes but the facts are what they are.

GOLODRYGA: And encouraging the public is not something that he's consistent in doing. And last night being a case in point. Now, we know that those supporters were breaking state ordinance there by not only standing so close with one another, but also not all of them were wearing masks, especially initially. They later were given masks by the administration officials.

But when the President again, 161,000 Americans are dead. He uniquely has the power to spread the message and lead by example in wearing a mask, and he chooses not to. And it reminds me of something that happened to you in an exchange with him back in May. Let's play this clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And your second question was? I couldn't hear you. Can you take it off because I cannot hear you?

MASON: I'll just speak louder, sir.

TRUMP: Ok, good. You want to be politically correct, go ahead.

MASON: No, sir. I just want to wear the mask.

TRUMP: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: I mean he was chiding you and goading you there for not taking your mask off in May. Since then we've known how many thousands more deaths in this country?

The President has said that it's now patriotic to wear a mask. But it doesn't seem that he actually adheres to his own statements.

MASON: Well, I think it also underscores the fact that when White House officials say that the President's position on masks hasn't changed, it's just simply not true. And that clip that you played is a good example of that.

It took him months to embrace the idea of wearing masks. He called it politically correct in that exchange with me and broadly just resisted wearing one himself. And that had an impact.

I mean I went with the President to his first rally after the pandemic in Tulsa, Oklahoma and that entire crowd, though it was a smaller crowd than they expected, there were very few mask wearers. And that, of course, led to an uptick in coronavirus cases in that area afterwards.

So the idea of setting the example, particularly with regard to mask wearing and social distancing has been one that he has resisted. He's come around to it in the last couple of weeks, and his advisers are also pushing it a lot more, both at the campaign and within the White House. But it's August, it took a while.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It took a while. It's important to note that while he gets a coronavirus test every day, most of his supporters don't.

Jeff Mason, thank you.

After a number of players and staff test positive for coronavirus, the St. Louis Cardinals are facing another brutal reality. They will now have to somehow play 55 games in just 49 days. How are they going to do it? Details coming up next.

[11:53:22]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Things aren't getting any easier for Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals. The team has postponed another series, this time against the Chicago Cubs. And that has set up a near impossible schedule for the Cardinals.

CNN's Coy Wire explains.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bianna. This unprecedented season was built to bring a team's normal 162-game slate to just 60 games in 67 days. But the St. Louis Cardinals' schedule just keeps getting battered.

The team's latest positive test forced MLB to postpone even more of their games, this weekend's series against the Cubs. Team president John Mozeliak was almost at a loss for words yesterday admitting that the team may have tried to come back too soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MOZELIAK, PRESIDENT, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: As of right now, I don't know what really our future look likes at this point. All I know is that we've lost these three games and we'll certainly take this day by day.

But, you know, for all the optimism we had a couple days ago and where we are today, it's definitely frustrating for everybody involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So far the Cardinals have only played five games. They've had to postpone 12 of them, all due to COVID. That's more than any other team in baseball. They haven't played in nearly a week and a half.

Now, somehow, they have to play 55 games in 49 days if they're going to get all of them in. If they can't, MLB might have to consider other ways of determining who gets into the playoffs, maybe by using teams' winning percentages, Bianna, instead of total number of wins.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Coy Wire, we're thinking of the Cardinals. Thank you so much.

Well, for sharp-eyed baseball fans there was a familiar face in the stands for a Kansas City Royals game. Someone from the Royals snuck in a cardboard cut out of Bernie from the iconic '80s movie "Weekend at Bernie's".

[11:59:55]

GOLODRYGA: There he is snoozing. The picture, of course, has gone viral. Since there are no actual people in the stands for Major League Baseball games, teams have been putting cardboard cutouts of fans in seats.