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U.S. Tops Five Million COVID-19 Cases; Trump Signs Executive Orders Extending Coronavirus Economic Relief; Doctor: Biker Rally A Potential Super Spreader Event; Brazil Second Only To U.S. Coronavirus Infections And Deaths; Beirut Protesters Call For A "Revolution"; Caring For The Homeless In The COVID-19 Era; Biden Finalizing Running Mate Choice; U.S. Postmaster DeJoy Says Election Mail Will Not Be Slowed Down. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired August 09, 2020 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): President Trump takes action on pandemic relief, promising struggling Americans a much needed lifeline.
But will his actions actually work?
Plus as the U.S. approaches 5 million coronavirus cases, thousands of bikers at a mega rally ignore scientific advice to wear masks.
And tear gas, scuffles, injuries, demands for change: dramatic scenes on the streets of Beirut after a devastating blast.
Live from CNN World Headquarters, welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
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BRUNHUBER: Coronavirus is raging across the U.S. and many Americans need help to survive the economic fallout. On Saturday, U.S. president Donald Trump signed executive actions on unemployment, evictions, student loans and payroll taxes.
The move comes after stimulus talks between the White House and Congress collapsed last week. But there are plenty of questions about how Mr. Trump's measures will work. Kristen Holmes explains.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump signing four executive actions today after those coronavirus stimulus talks stalled. I want to go through them because they're a bit complicated and there is a bit of nuance.
First, he talked about deferring student loan debt. That is a simple, straightforward memoranda (sic) that he signed today. The other ones a little more complicated. One was a payroll tax holiday for people who made $100,000 or less.
Why was this complicated?
Well, one, companies are going to have to sign off on this. And there is no indication that they will or that they worked with these companies, the White House, to get this done.
But the other big problem here is that people eventually will have to pay that back. That means that people are facing an enormous amount of back taxes. President Trump said if he was elected he would dissolve these extra taxes.
But that would, again, mean that there is a potential for this huge amount of money to be hanging on Americans after November.
The third one I want to talk about was eviction. Now this was not a straight executive order on eviction moratorium, as we had believed it was going to be. Instead it's a little more nuanced.
President Trump in this order calls on agencies like the Health and Human Services Department to consider whether it was necessary to temporarily halt evictions. So clearly there's going to have to be some process there. And that means that that will lapse.
Last is the enhanced unemployment benefit. We've heard a lot about this and we have a graphic here to kind of break down exactly what President Trump is doing.
Americans who are unemployed were getting this extra $600 of federal assistance. That ended when those coronavirus stimulus talks stalled. Now President Trump is signing a memoranda (sic) for $400.
But it's not quite $400. If you look at this graphic, you can see here, the federal government is only offering to pay $300. President Trump is asking the states to pay the other 25 percent, which is, of course, $100.
Now as we know, a lot of these states are in a crippling financial situation after the pandemic. When asked about whether or not these governors would be able to pay this, here's what President Trump said.
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TRUMP: If they don't, they don't. That's going to be their problem. I don't think their people will be too happy. They have the money so I don't think their people will be too happy. But if they don't they don't but again, the states have the money. It's sitting there.
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K. HOLMES: Right. So unclear here whether or not it's actually going to be $400, meaning that it could have been cut in half from that $600 to now $300.
Now the Democrats have already put out a statement, Democratic leadership, Speaker Pelosi as well as Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, slamming these executive actions, calling them "narrow and weak" and saying this, that "Today's meager announcements by the president show President Trump still does not comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crisis facing working families."
So clearly here, already slamming them.
But the big question is when are these actually going to take place?
As I said, some of these require extra legwork, talking to companies, figuring out the back taxes as well as considering whether or not eviction or temporary eviction is necessary. So it's unclear when these benefits will actually get in the hands of Americans who really need them during this pivotal point --
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K. HOLMES: -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, Bridgewater, New Jersey.
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BRUNHUBER: Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden dismissed Mr. Trump's executive actions.
In a statement Biden called the measures, "half-baked."
It read in part, "This is no art of the deal, this is not presidential leadership, these orders are not real solutions, they're just another cynical ploy designed to deflect responsibility."
Mr. Trump's executive actions come as the U.S. approaches an alarming milestone. The country is just shy of 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, far more than any other country.
More than 162,000 patients have died. Texas governor Greg Abbott extended the state's disaster declaration Saturday. In the past few days almost 1 of 5 people there who tested, tested positive. That's the highest seven-day average Texas has seen so far.
Illinois is also struggling to contain its numbers. On Saturday, the state posted its highest daily case count since May 24th, more than 2,000 new positive cases reported in Illinois both Friday and Saturday.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic raging in the U.S., thousands of people are traveling across state lines to South Dakota for a motorcycle rally. They're beginning to gather in the small city of Sturgis for the massive annual event. And 250,000 could come in all.
Some residents worry the out-of-towners could bring the virus with them. CNN's Ryan Young tells us why the bikers won't let the pandemic stop their party.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When we get to Sturgis, South Dakota, one thing you'll notice, right off the bat, the traffic has slowed here. This is a town of 7,000 normally. But right now this city is full of people.
Look all the way down the road here and I can tell you, this multiplies itself mile by mile. It takes a half hour to go a mile here, as thousands have descended on the city for the rally they say they wanted to be a part of.
One of the things that stands out here is a lot of people are choosing not to wear masks. They believe that's their right. And you do see some people wearing masks but we understand those are decisions they have made before arriving here.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are trying to kind of social distance. We haven't -- like when we went to the bar, just a drink here or there and then leave, if it's too crowded we really stepped out. So trying to still practice social distancing while enjoying the event.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One thing I know is I know how the people act. Look at everybody out here. They're ready to ride. Everybody's cooped up from the coronavirus. Everybody's ready to have fun. And hell, so am I.
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YOUNG: And there is an economic piece to all this as well. When you have so many people flooding into a city, businesses are counting on this weekend to make it. It's been a tough few months with the coronavirus.
There are people who traveled thousands of miles to be here. They wanted to see if they can make their year in this one weekend. And that's why they say it was all worth the risk -- Ryan Young, CNN, South Dakota.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN spoke with the mayor of Sturgis, South Dakota, about what message officials are sending by welcoming thousands of visitors without requiring face masks. So here's what he said.
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MAYOR MARK CARSTENSEN, STURGIS, SD: Well, the message that has been consistent across South Dakota through this process is, we are open. People have come here.
So I think our messaging is, personal responsibility. We want you to choose what you want to do. And these what are the city is providing and we're providing some rides and if people want to come along, we welcome them. After the rally we've provided the opportunity for citizens to take
COVID tests. We're trying to provide all the tools that we have to keep people safe, let them stay home if they so choose and be able to react afterwards with the best data we could possibly have.
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BRUNHUBER: Brazil's health ministry is reporting two tragic milestones. More than 100,000 Brazilians have now died from coronavirus. More than 3 million have been infected. Many Brazilians are blaming the government for its failure to contain the pandemic. CNN's Matt Rivers explains why.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that the outbreak in Brazil is one of the worst in the world. And the data that we get just continues to back that up.
A horrible new milestone has been reached in Brazil, with the country's death toll now surpassing 100,000 for the first time. The overall number of cases in that country is also now topping 3 million for the first time.
This after some new information on Saturday from the country's health ministry recorded nearly 50,000 newly confirmed cases and just over 900 newly confirmed deaths.
Meanwhile, we did hear from president Jair Bolsonaro, who, from the get-go, has basically been flippant about the fact that tens of thousands of Brazilians have lost their lives. It was reacting to the news of 100,000 deaths that the president said, "We are going to get on with life and look for a way to get away from this problem."
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RIVERS: Now nearly 25 percent of all deaths recorded have come from the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, which just, on Saturday, surpassed the 25,000-death threshold. But despite that, the state continues to advance its reopening plan.
Since Thursday, bars and restaurants in the capital of Sao Paulo state can be open during the night. But the governor there said he is not going to allow in-person schooling to resume because he said any slip- up during this reopening could be fatal -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
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BRUNHUBER: Brazil, of course, is just one of many countries struggling to get everyone to maintain social distancing. The U.K. and France, not to mention the U.S., are also seeing large crowds at busy outdoor areas. Call it pandemic fatigue or just not caring. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Crowded streets, packed bars: it's the weekend in Rio de Janeiro and people are partying like there's no pandemic. There are few masks, no social distancing, even though the country's death toll from the coronavirus is around 100,000.
"I know that I'm not doing the best thing in being here," one student says, "but at least I'm using a face mask. Those people are drinking, having a good time. They don't know where their cup came from."
But Rio isn't the only place where people are out and about without taking proper precautions. Crowds packing the seaside resort of Blackpool in northwest England, filling the promenade and the beaches, with people trying to escape the summer heat even though cases are on the rise across the U.K.
Paris is taking measures to crack down on scenes like this. As of Monday, masks will be required by everyone over 11 years of age in busy outdoor areas. Reaction so far: mixed.
"I find it unnecessary when there aren't many people," one resident says. "But when there are more people, it is good that people wear masks."
Vietnam is testing and testing again to contain an outbreak that began in the city of Da Nang. Officials say thousands of people who recently returned from the resort town will get more accurate swab tests instead of the ones they initially took. They say large-scale testing and strict community guidelines helped keep infections low once before.
"We got through the last time," one person says. "As long as all of us comply with these policies, we will get through this together."
Following the rules, heeding the science, right now, they could be the best options to beat back the coronavirus -- Michael Holmes, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: Coming up, fury in the streets of Beirut.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president said it's an accident. Actually, it's a crime.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Demonstrators vent their anger at the government. We're live in the Lebanese capital next.
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BRUNHUBER: Plus President Donald Trump is set to take part in a donor conference for Beirut but leaders face tough questions about where to send that aid. I'll speak to the Red Cross.
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BRUNHUBER: We're closely watching the situation in Beirut, Lebanon, after Saturday's huge outpouring of public anger. From the ruins of Tuesday's catastrophic explosion has emerged anti-government rage as thousands of people filled Beirut's Martyrs Square.
Protesters stormed various ministry buildings and set fire to its main banking institution. Hundreds of people were hurt as they faced off against security forces. Tear gas choked the streets. But for some, the blast that rocked the city was a point of no return.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We have decided now the authority is with the people and not this corrupt system. We have decided that our movement will be about occupying and entering ministries and institutions which originally should be for the people.
But they have been transformed into farms, divided by those in government who have stolen our money.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's senior international correspondent, Arwa Damon joining us from Beirut.
You hear the anger, simmering for a long time now. The country was already in a severe financial crisis before this hit. So some Lebanese saying, the government can't handle that crisis, how can it possibly handle this one?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not even just that the government couldn't handle that crisis, Kim, they'll say that this government and consecutive ones before it are the very reason for that crisis, the economic one but also this devastating explosion that took place.
Look, even before this happened, the economic tailspin of this country, the fact that the Lebanese pound was in a freefall, meant that money that people had was worth 75 percent less than it used to be.
I mean, prices are astronomical. If someone is not making money in dollars, which most people here aren't, and isn't able to exchange it on the black market, even basics are unaffordable for most.
International NGOs were estimating that about 70 percent of this population was in need of humanitarian aid. That's why there's been so much rage in the streets since October, because the key reasons for that is, quite simply put, corruption and government inefficiency. Now on top of all of that, on top of also going through COVID, you
have something like this, this stockpile of ammonium nitrate, unsafely stored after repeated warnings to repeated governments. And nothing was done.
And now Lebanon is trying to have to rebuild, trying to pull at its emotional reserves to somehow get through this and its financial ones.
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DAMON: But if you can't afford to put food on the table, how are you going to afford glass for your windows or even to begin cleaning up and putting your life back together again?
What people are demanding is not necessarily just what the country's prime minister is promising, which is early elections, they want an entire revamp, an upheaval of this country's system of governance because, right now, as it has been for decades, since independence, it is deeply entrenched in sectarian politics.
The presidency goes to the Christians, the premiership to the Sunnis, speaker of parliament to the Shias. People by and large tend to vote along sectarian lines. That has deeply divided this country.
But what we've seen with the economic crisis, with COVID and now with this blast, these are not things that have been discriminating. So you do have a sense that, at least among the population, there is a sense of unity when it comes to making those demands from their ruling elite.
No politician is being spared right now the people's wrath and it is perfectly understandable because, how far can a country be pushed?
How much can a population be expected to cope with?
What we are seeing, Kim, which is worth mentioning, is an army of volunteers from all over the country, in the streets, cleaning up, providing food, providing water, providing first aid. It's there that you really get a look, a sense of what Lebanon could be if the corrupt politicians would just step aside.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely right. Thank you so much for your analysis there, Arwa Damon, on the ground for us in Beirut. We appreciate it.
About a dozen countries and the United Nations have pledged millions of dollars in emergency aid to the people of Lebanon. But much more is needed. Later today, French president Emmanuel Macron, who visited Beirut on Thursday, will host an international donors conference to line up commitments.
And U.S. president Donald Trump is expected to participate. Also on the agenda, how that aid will be distributed in a country plagued by corruption. With us now to discuss all of this is Basma Tabaja, the deputy head of the international community of the Red Cross' delegation in Lebanon. Thank you so much for joining us, with so much happening there. First
of all, give us a sense of what the situation is now on the ground there, some five days after the explosion.
BASMA TABAJA, DEPUTY HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, ICRC LEBANON: Yes, the situation has drastically evolved. Yesterday, as you know, the protests. However, the scene pretty much looks like a post- explosion scene might.
Certain rescue efforts continue at the explosion site itself, be it civil defense, army, Red Cross teams or even all the international teams that were brought in to do search and rescue. In parallel, cleanup continues of the rubble, of the glass.
A scene of solidarity, like your colleague Arwa spoke of earlier, with people getting together, providing food, providing shelter, helping each other clean up their streets and --
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BRUNHUBER: We just lost the last bit of what you said there, Basma.
But if you're still there?
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TABAJA: I'm here, yes.
BRUNHUBER: Excellent, all right.
TABAJA: People trying really to -- yes.
BRUNHUBER: Can I ask you just perspective, what's the biggest need right now, what are some of the biggest challenges in fulfilling those?
TABAJA: Coordination efforts. We've received an outpour support from all over the world; 60 planes have arrived with assistance. All of this needs to be coordinated properly, needs to be distributed properly to ensure that all this aid goes to where the needs are.
The needs are everywhere, from support of hospitals to search and rescue teams to rehabilitation and people displaced due to the explosion.
BRUNHUBER: When you're talking about where the aid is going successfully, we were saying earlier, many states, organizations, individuals even are saying that the aid should go directly to NGOs to circumvent the government, because the money might not get to those in need.
Is that a concern?
What advice do you have for those who want to help?
TABAJA: That is a concern we are increasingly hearing from a number of states and private individuals who want to donate to the Red Cross instead of the local government.
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TABAJA: From where we're standing, we're more than ready to accept any support, on our website, International Red Cross, Lebanese Red Cross. We're also supporting in-kind assistance as well to make sure it's based on the assessments we do as organizations and (INAUDIBLE) our teams observe on the ground.
BRUNHUBER: Now there's so many challenges there. The destruction of the port could throttle the humanitarian aid pipeline.
How big a problem is that when it comes to getting much-needed supplies into Beirut?
TABAJA: It is a problem. I mean, that port pretty much covered the entire country, not just Beirut. Right now the only source for things coming in is the airport. And Tripoli port is scrambling to get itself ready to accept vessels.
But they can cover less than 40 percent of what the Beirut port used to cover. As far as international organizations are concerned, it's also a concern for our pipeline to Syria, because we received a lot of the humanitarian assistance to Syria through Beirut port.
We had teams two days ago at the explosion site, checking the state of the warehouses, checking the state of the vessels as well that had just arrived, to see what we could salvage from our own assistance that was in warehouses at the port, as well as to identify the best course of action going forward.
BRUNHUBER: There's so much need, we wish you the best of luck in trying to fulfill it. Thank you so much, Basma Tabaja with International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut, doing great work out there, appreciate it.
Still to come, imagine being homeless during a pandemic. We're going to visit cities across the United States to see the extra challenges of caring for those on the streets in the era of COVID.
Plus, it's decision time for Joe Biden. He's expected to announce his running mate in just days.
So who's still in contention?
That's ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. President Trump is trying to take coronavirus relief for Americans
into his own hands but it's not clear if he has the legal authority to do much of it. On Saturday, he signed four executive actions since Congress hasn't worked out a stimulus deal.
The most controversial will enact a payroll tax deferment for people who make less than $100,000. That's met by partisan opposition on Capitol Hill, since it would mean less funding of Social Security and Medicare. He's promising a partial extension of federal unemployment benefits.
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TRUMP: I'm taking action to provide an additional or an extra $400 per week in expanded benefits, $400, OK?
So that's generous but we want to take care of our people.
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BRUNHUBER: This as the U.S. inches ever closer to a new milestone, nearly 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. More than 162,000 people have died and health experts say the toll will likely get worse in the coming months.
Millions of Americans could possibly be evicted because of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Even before the virus invaded, homeless Americans already were among society's most vulnerable. Now COVID-19 is adding a terrifying complication.
CNN's Alexandra Field takes a look at the ways some communities are coming together to help.
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ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This might be the worst time to be homeless in America.
MARTY HAMES, COMMUNITY LIAISON, CIRCLE THE CITY: Street medicine has become a very big part of what we do.
FIELD (voice-over): And we probably haven't seen the worst of it yet. From New York with more than 92,000 homeless people to California with more than 151,000 homeless people. States and cities nationwide are scrambling to make shelter safer and cleaner and they're sending medical teams into the streets.
SCOTT GILMORE, DIRECTOR, DENVER PARKS AND RECREATION: We just need to do everything we can to make sure that the virus is not spreading and protecting this really vulnerable population.
FIELD (voice-over): In Denver, Colorado, there are COVID-19 test sites for homeless people who are less likely to be able to quarantine, isolate or access quality health care. In Phoenix, Arizona, they are fighting to solve those problems.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
HAMES: If you can imagine someone that's living on the street and life is already rough, it's Phoenix, Arizona. It's 110 degrees and then suddenly they receive a diagnosis of positive for COVID. You know, what do they do next? Phoenix is unique in that we have a place where they can go.
FIELD (voice-over): This is a hotel now run by an organization Circle the City. It's for homeless people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 and nowhere else to go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heart rate is 64 and your (INAUDIBLE) is 98. Perfect. FIELD (voice-over): Ronald Wayne Patrick is here to isolate and recover.
RONALD WAYNE PATRICK, HOMELESS WITH COVID-19: I was totally devastated, overwhelmed. I just -- I thought it was the end of my life.
FIELD (voice-over): He's been homeless for 30 days. Nationwide, there were more than half a million homeless people in 2019. There are dire predictions that the economic crisis, job loss could make hundreds of thousands more people homeless in 2020.
DEBORAH METTS, ORGANIZED RENT STRIKE: We've even been training in eviction blockades. They're not going to come for any of our neighbors. I can tell you that right now.
FIELD (voice-over): There's a rent strike at a building in Harlem where some tenants have banded together to learn their legal rights before moratoriums on evictions during COVID-19 expire, before more people are forced out of their homes.
SHONDREA THORNTON, ORGANIZED RENT STRIKE: Where are people supposed to go in the city? These are not even cheap apartments. These are very expensive apartments. But if you can't afford this, where are you supposed to go?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The shelter system was at capacity basically prior to COVID. Now we're going to have a new wave that's going to take a crisis to a catastrophe.
FIELD (voice-over): The organization Women in Need provides shelter for 4,700 people a night, 2,700 are children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The biggest challenge has been so many of our moms losing their jobs.
FIELD (voice-over): Around 30 million kids from low income or homeless families depend on schools for free or lower cost meals. Through COVID, some of the biggest cities kept providing free food after schools closed.
Los Angeles which will have virtual school this fall spent a hundred million dollars on high speed internet and computers for students in need. New York City sent an iPad with data to Soledad Cruz's (ph) daughter, but the shelter they've lived in for three years doesn't have WiFi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it makes it kind of difficult for my daughter to do things some of her assignments because a lot of them have to be on the internet and she won't have access to them.
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FIELD (voice-over): All across the country, the homeless are weathering hard times in the hardest of times.
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BRUNHUBER: That was CNN's Alexandra Field reporting.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is getting close to announcing who will be his running mate. The former U.S. vice president is finalizing who he wants as his vice president. As CNN's Arlette Saenz reports, Biden has met with several possible contenders recently in the run-up to the Democratic convention.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's decision weekend for Joe Biden, as he's in the final stretch of deliberations over who he'll choose to be his running mate.
We've learned that Biden has held meetings with some of the women under consideration for that job. And one of those women is Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Sources tell us she recently met with the former vice president to discuss that possible V.P. slot on the Democratic ticket. Whitmer has risen in prominence in recent months due to her handling of the coronavirus pandemic in her home state of Michigan.
And while we know that Biden met with Whitmer, he's also held other meetings with the women that he's considering for that V.P. job. We just don't know exactly who yet.
But some of the women under consideration are Senator Kamala Harris, former rival of Biden's during the Democratic primary; former national security adviser Susan Rice, who worked alongside Biden during the Obama administration.
Other names in the mix are Karen bass, Congresswoman from California; Elizabeth Warren, also a former rival of Biden's; and Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth. Biden is expected to make that decision and announcement within the coming week as he is zeroing in on the biggest and most important decision of his candidacy -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Democrats in Congress are speaking out against major changes at the U.S. post office after President Trump appointed one of his wealthy donors to lead the Postal Service. As CNN's Jessica Dean reports, the shakeup is raising serious concerns about the impact on November's election, with millions expected to vote by mail.
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JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More changes at the U.S. Postal Service. Under new leadership from Trump ally and donor Louis DeJoy, the U.S. Postal Service announced it will be instituting a management hiring freeze and requesting future buyouts.
The moves are exactly the kind of thing Democrats on the Hill have asked the USPS not to do.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL), DEMOCRATIC WHIP: We are proud of our postal workers across America but they've got a hand tied behind their back with this new leadership.
DEAN (voice-over): Today congressional Democrats, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, called for the U.S. Postal Service inspector general to investigate operational changes at the USPS.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: We have little faith that they're not trying to politicize the post office.
DEAN (voice-over): The USPS says the measures were to cut costs. But postal workers and unions claim it's led to a slowing of the mail and could potentially impact vote by mail in the fall, something the postmaster general denies.
LOUIS DEJOY, U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL: Despite any assertions to the contrary, we are not slowing down election mail or any other mail.
DEAN (voice-over): In their letter, the lawmakers say the Postal Service has become a political football and described the service's response to congressional requests as "seriously lacking."
They also want the IG to look into any business conflicts DeJoy may have.
DeJoy took the helm of the Postal Service on June 15th. He's the first postmaster general in decades to come to the job without any prior experience working within the U.S. Postal Service. He contributed about $1.2 million to the Trump victory fund dating back to August 2016, according to federal election commission filings.
TRUMP: I can't imagine the post office could do it, all of a sudden they're supposed to be dealing in millions of ballots.
DEAN (voice-over): Financials filed earlier this year by DeJoy's wife, Aldona Wos, who was nominated to be ambassador to Canada, also show potential conflicts of interest, including a financial stake in UPS, a Postal Service competitor.
They also show tens of millions of dollars of income and assets derived from holdings in shipping logistics company XPO, which acquired DeJoy's former company in 2014. XPO is a current contractor for the U.S. Postal Service. On Friday, DeJoy responded to accusations of political influence for the first time publicly. DEJOY: While I certainly have a good relationship with the president
of the United States, the notion that I would ever make decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president or anyone else in the administration is wholly off base.
DEAN: A U.S. Postal Service spokesperson tells me that DeJoy has followed all ethics requirements for the Office of Postmaster General -- Jessica Dean, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Coming up, a scene of sheer devastation.
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BRUNHUBER: A shocking look at the epicenter of Beirut's powerful blast and the search for any clues that remain.
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BRUNHUBER: Lebanon's minister of information has just submitted his resignation, apologizing to the Lebanese people for failing to, quote, "meet their aspirations."
The capital of Lebanon is on edge after large anti-government protests turned violent on Saturday. Thousands of angry people gathered in Beirut to demand government accountability following Tuesday's massive explosion at the port.
Hundreds were hurt in clashes with security forces. An international donors conference is set for later today to help rebuild the badly damaged city. Lebanon's prime minister is calling for early elections but that isn't stopping the outrage on the streets. As CNN's Ben Wedeman tells us, the explosion was the last straw for a country already on edge.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They carried a banner with the names of those killed in Tuesday's massive blast, Beirut's initial shock now white-hot fury. At a government, a political elite that, through incompetence and corruption, has pushed Lebanon to the brink.
In their demands, there is no subtlety.
"We want to take revenge on them," says this Fuwaz Kasaguene (ph). "We want to hang them because they killed us. Our blood is still boiling over the people killed in the blast, an atomic bomb that exploded at the heart of Beirut."
Saturday, the explosion in Beirut was one of rage. Ordinary citizens have lost so much in the last few months, they have little left to lose. They've seen the economy collapse, the local currency lose much of its value, hyperinflation, lengthy power cuts.
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WEDEMAN (voice-over): And last Tuesday, a catastrophic explosion that killed more than 150 people, wounded thousands and made at least 300,000 homeless.
And now, the politicians are being called to account.
"Shame on them," says this protester. "They killed their people. They impoverished us. We've lost everything and, still, they cling to power."
Other protesters occupied a variety of ministries, including the foreign ministry, where they burned a portrait of president Michel Aoun.
WEDEMAN: This day was declared as Yawm Kesab (ph), the day of judgment. And in the dark are the leaders of Lebanon, who have overseen what is essentially the decline and fall of the Lebanese state.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): A state struggling to maintain control of a population in revolt, a state under siege from its own people -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.
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BRUNHUBER: The international community has pledged to help Lebanon with tens of millions of dollars, along with emergency medical and food supplies. But the devastation the blast has left behind is a stark symbol of just how close the country is to collapse. Arwa Damon is at Beirut's ground zero.
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DAMON: Even standing here, it's still to hard to wrap your mind around enormity, the size of this blast. You can see a ship over there, blown onto its side.
And this massive area right here, this is where the storage unit housing that ammonium nitrate once stood. They have dive teams in the water, trying to presumably salvage anything that they can that would potentially help in the investigation.
They're still looking for the bodies of those who are listed as missing although, at this stage, there is not that much hope that they would somehow be found alive.
There was some hope that, underneath the silo in the operation room there, because it is so far underground, that perhaps they would be able to miraculously find someone alive.
But this has largely shifted from being a search and rescue operation to one of recovery and cleanup at this stage.
DAMON (voice-over): There are still tens of people who are listed as missing and, among them, firefighters who had responded to the initial blaze. There are about a dozen international teams on the ground and the Lebanese civil defense called up its volunteers.
DAMON: He's briefing the search teams right now, telling them, first of all, to be very careful as they're walking through, eyes down all the time for their own safety but also because they need to be looking, combing through all of this, trying to find any sort of clues as to where there may be bodies or anything that looks familiar, anything that looks remotely familiar, of what used to actually be here.
Put your hand up in a fist and get another team member to come back you up.
Lebanon has just been through so much. The country is near bankruptcy. The COVID-19 crisis and now this, a complete and utter tragedy that defies logic, that did not need to happen.
When the explosion took place, there were people in this area. There were entire structures, buildings; there was a duty-free over there. All of it has been completely and utterly wiped out.
DAMON (voice-over): The force of the blast spat out the contents of storage containers and then largely buried them under the rubble. The twisted reflection of decades of government failure, corruption and negligence that ended up culminating in this -- Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Still to come, the coronavirus pandemic has caused many world capitals to fall quiet. We'll take you to the hushed streets of London and ask whether the age-old city can recover.
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BRUNHUBER: Clearly the coronavirus pandemic is bringing major changes to cities around the world. And some of those changes could be long- lasting. CNN's Phil Black is in the heart of London and he finds that, what once drew people to the city could now drive them away.
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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a time not that long ago, vast numbers of people migrated into central London every working day.
Now, they're mostly gone. Their towering offices loom empty without purpose. Streets, famous for crowds, traffic, noise, energy are quiet and a bit sad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I miss it. It doesn't feel right. The atmosphere is not here. The vibe isn't here.
BLACK (voice-over): COVID-19, working from home, endless uncertainty have all teamed up to silence one of the world's most vibrant cities. When office workers stay away, those who rely on them suffer.
This once heaving street market is now just a quiet street. Stall owner Richie Wicks (ph) think it's going to get worse as the pandemic's economic pain bites harder.
RICHIE WICKS (PH), MARKET STALL OWNER: There will be tumbleweed running through it. It will be like a ghost town.
BLACK (voice-over): The property industry reports people aren't just avoiding central London, COVID-19 has triggered huge interest in leaving that skyline behind and moving away for all the things London can't easily provide: space, gardens, affordability.
AGATA OLSZEWSKA, MOVING OUT OF LONDON: We thought we were going to stay for another two years, but I think the pandemic kind of accelerated our decision to move now.
BLACK (voice-over): After months of working from home, Michael and Agata have decided to quit London because, well, why not?
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MICHAEL OLSZEWSKA, MOVING OUT OF LONDON: Why do we need to be in a city at all at this point?
Working anywhere is the same as working anywhere else now.
Why not move somewhere where you have a fantastic local community, pretty sites around you?
A. OLSZEWSKA: Yes, and you can definitely get a huge garden in our price range. So that's good.
BLACK (voice-over): How London has responded to COVID-19 could reshape the city's social and economic fabric. But not for the first time.
And not as remarkably as the change inflicted by that other notorious source of multiple pandemics, the plague. London's last big outbreak in the 1600s killed an estimated 100,000 people, almost a quarter of the city's population.
BLACK: The Great Plague, great fires, Nazi bombs, extreme crime and poverty, London's long history is a timeline of extraordinary violence, disease and suffering. That long sweep of history tells us, when Londoners can afford to flee danger and hardship, they often do.
BLACK (voice-over): But the city's current wealth and status also proves they usually come back. TONY TRAVERS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: These things happen and it has to adjust, to reassert its economic power. Every time before, it has done it. And I don't think this is the one occasion when the whole world, because it wouldn't just be London, would it, changes to a less urban, a less urbanized form of existence.
BLACK (voice-over): London, in the time of COVID-19, is a much diminished city. Its story so far suggests it will recover but many lives and livelihoods will be dramatically altered before it does -- Phil Black, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, that's all for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in the U.S. and Canada, "NEW DAY" is just ahead. For everyone else, it's "Inside the Middle East."
