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Trump Wants to Be Added to Mount Rushmore?; Schools Reopening/Closing Amid Coronavirus Outbreaks; Confusion Over Trump's Executive Orders. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 10, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:03]

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And the Trump administration spoke very highly of this deal, though, then, President Trump (AUDIO GAP) but then he kind of backed up his comments and later walked them back, saying he was not involved in the loan specifically. Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, Alison, thank you so much for that report.

Our special coverage will continue now with Brooke Baldwin.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you for being with me.

And here's a quote: "It is never too late to turn the outbreak around."

That is coming in from the leader of the World Health Organization today, words that the U.S. needs to hear now more than ever, as the nation surpasses five million cases. That means one in four infections worldwide are in this country.

Right now, more than 163,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID- 19. In fact, for the past two weeks, the nation has been averaging 1,000 deaths a day, 1,000 deaths a day. Just think about that loss of life.

Meantime, college football may be on the brink of (AUDIO GAP) as reports indicate that leaders of the Power 5 conferences may postpone or even cancel the entire upcoming season.

Also today, a study from the country's pediatricians found nearly 100,000 schoolchildren tested positive in the last two weeks of July, and leaders of the WHO call the coronavirus brutal and cruel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MICHAEL J. RYAN, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: This virus is proving exceptionally difficult to stop. This virus has demonstrated no seasonal pattern as such so far. What it has clearly demonstrated is, you take the pressure off the virus, the virus bounces back. That's the reality. That's the fact. It's brutal in its simplicity. It is brutal in its cruelty, but it doesn't have a brain. We have the brains. And I think Maria may outline how we can outsmart something that doesn't have a brain. But we're not doing such a great job right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Not doing such a great job right now.

Well, amid all of this, confusion from the president about how his administration will help the millions and millions of families in financial distress from this pandemic. He is now offering to pay more unemployment benefits even if a state doesn't contribute. That is a reversal of what he said just the day before.

Want to take you, though, to Georgia. The Georgia high school at the center of that viral photo here that showed this packed hallway with very few visible masks is now closed for two days. Six students and three faculty members at North Paulding High School have tested positive for coronavirus.

And listen to what one aunt of two infected students said to "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" tuition. Here's a quote: "She said the boys did not grasp the gravity of the virus and weren't encouraged to wear masks in classrooms or hallways by the school."

And while the school district superintendent says masks are a personal choice, the student who posted this photo says she's now getting threats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNAH WATTERS, STUDENT: They kind of set us in the school and used us as guinea pigs to see what would happen.

I feel like a lot of teachers have my back, because they know how dangerous it is going to school. But I know that a lot of the kids I go to school with, I have already gotten backlash for it. I have gotten threats and things like that. But I know that I'm doing the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN's Natasha Chen is live in Atlanta.

And, Natasha, this school is one of so many in Georgia, I know, now reworking their plans because of all of this coronavirus. Tell us what their next steps are.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so they are actually consulting with the public health department right now to tell families from that high school by tomorrow night what their next steps will be in terms of how to continue class, whether it will continue virtually or if they're coming back to the school. And, of course, they're not alone in this. We are hearing from

Cherokee County outside of Atlanta that they have got at least 19 students, four staff members testing positive after their first week of class.

Over in Gwinnett County, you have got the largest school system in Georgia. They haven't started class yet and already, with their teachers required to be in the buildings, 260 employees have either tested positive or are quarantined right now.

Today, I asked Governor Brian Kemp about why he doesn't have a MASK mandate in the schools. He pushed that off onto local school districts to make that decision. Here's what he said to me about what we're seeing in the schools right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): There's definitely going to be issues when you open anything. We saw that when we opened businesses. We're seeing that when we open schools. We have given them guidance. We have worked with them to really give them the tools that they need to open the classroom.

And I think, quite honestly, this week went real well, other than a couple of virtual photos, but the attitude, from what they're telling me, was good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And the U.S. surgeon general was also here with him at this new surge testing site. It was identified by HHS as one of the hot spots around the country.

[15:05:07]

So, the U.S. surgeon general also piped in on that subject of schools and masks. and he said he's not against mask mandates, but he's more concerned about education and engagement. He wishes that celebrities like Ludacris and Tyler Perry would make it cool to wear masks, so that the kids would follow suit -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Well, it would be nice to see the governor and folks at the tip-top all do the same. Natasha, thank you.

Let's get some expert analysis on all of this.

Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency room physician at George Washington University. And she's a CNN medical analyst.

Dr. Wen, great to have you back.

I want to talk about young people in this country, because we just saw this number. A little bit more than 97,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 in the last half of July. When you hear that number, what's your reaction to that? And then, to Natasha's point just about schools, how should this inform decisions about school reopenings? DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Yes, my reaction, Brooke, is, imagine if these 97,000 children were all in school. Imagine how many outbreaks there would be.

And, also, these are the infections that we know of. We know that we don't have nearly enough testing. So we're testing the people who have symptoms, but we're not doing surveillance testing. So there could well be far more than 97,000 students who are actively infectious who are able to transmit it to others.

And I think the lesson that we should take away here is that you cannot keep a school safe from coronavirus if the community is a hotbed of infection. There's just no way. The most important thing that we can do is to suppress the level of infection in the community, while we also take every step that we can in the schools, which include reducing the density and absolutely wearing masks.

That's a simple intervention that we can all do to improve, then safeguard our health and safety.

BALDWIN: Of course, but what about that high school in Georgia, North Paulding High School, where that viral packed hallway photo was taken?

They're closing for two days after nine people at the high school tested positive. Is that the right response? What more should be done?

WEN: Well, the closure was predictable.

And I'm just glad that they had enough testing that they could detect these cases before -- it wasn't just where the -- the numbers could be much larger, where it could be dozens or hundreds of people who could have gotten infected.

But I think, before they open again, they need to do a lot more, including something as basic as preventing that type of crowded hallway from happening. You can stagger school opening times. You can de-densify classrooms.

Classes in districts all over this all over the country are taking these steps. These are the types of guidelines that were recommended by the CDC. And this school and all others should be able to follow it too.

BALDWIN: To your point also just about wearing a mask, I know that the school superintendent says that wearing masks is a personal choice.

When you think, though, about schools, like they require in some cases hall passes to go to the bathroom or bringing a certain number of pencils to class or shorts only so many inches above the knee.

I mean, how is it possible that schools cannot require masks?

WEN: They can and they should.

And I think there is a way to make this not sound punitive, as in, well, now we all have to wear masks. I think we can also make it about shared values, that masks show respect for one another, that this is about collectively our doing our part to make a difference to fight this virus.

And I think this cannot just come from the teachers. It also has to come from the parents. It needs to come from our elected officials. Everybody needs to have the same clear public health messaging, and that's what's going to really make a difference for not only the students, but their families and teachers and staff too.

BALDWIN: What about, Dr. Wen, just bigger picture here? It took just 15 days for the U.S. to go from three million to four million COVID cases and then 17 days for the nation to go from four million to five million.

Do you see anything promising that shows the U.S. is maybe slowing down the rate of infection?

WEN: Well, what I see as promising is that we have done this before, that we have seen parts of our country really suppress the level of infection.

We have seen other countries being successful at it. They don't have something that we don't. They have the same measures when it comes to social distancing, wearing masks, washing our hands, restricting indoor gatherings. These are all the things that we can do now.

And I think that's the tragedy of it all. It doesn't have to be this way. It shouldn't be so hard for us to reopen schools. It shouldn't be that we're having a million people die -- or a million people get infected and hundreds of thousands of people on their way to becoming dead in the U.S.

It doesn't need to be this way. But we have to take prompt action right now. And we can do this.

BALDWIN: Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much, as always.

Let's go to the White House now. The president's executive actions over the weekend have left many asking, can he even do that? It was intended to provide much needed relief to the millions of Americans desperately hurt by this pandemic, but instead it is sparking confusion and uncertainty.

[15:10:07]

The president's actions come after stimulus talks totally broke down on Capitol Hill. But the problem is, not only does Congress have the power of the purse, but the president is demanding states help foot the bill, to which many governors are saying they don't have the money.

CNN's White House correspondent, Jeremy Diamond, is joining me now.

And, Jeremy, is there any real help here behind the president's promise? JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there could

potentially be, but it's certainly not going to be as far-reaching as how the president has described these four executive actions that he took on Saturday.

And, for now, there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty around this, specifically on the question of those supplemental unemployment benefits that the president signed in an executive action on Saturday.

But the White House, when it was asked -- when the White House press secretary was asked today how quickly Americans could see this money, unlike the president, who said it'll come very quickly, she's shifting blame to the states. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So we hope to see it quickly and close to immediately. I don't have an exact readout for you on time. But a lot of this will depend on states and them applying, because, as you know, it's 75 percent federal government covering and 25 percent the states. And they can use CARES funding or even existing unemployment funds for that $100.

But it will require an application process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And, Brooke, Kayleigh McEnany also actually blamed Democrats for any potential delays in this program that the president signed by executive action, arguing that, if Democrats had reached an agreement, the president wouldn't have to do this via executive action.

Of course, beyond the question of whether or not these states can actually implement it, and how long it will actually take, there's a question of whether Americans will actually get any of this $400 per week.

States would actually have to opt into this program and agreed to pay $100 of that $400 per week per unemployed American for any unemployed person in those states to actually receive those benefits. And they we also have to actually agree to administer this program.

It's just one of several questions that are still lingering after the president signed this. And, Brooke, very quickly, the president also signed an executive action deferring payroll taxes. The president is suggesting that, if he is reelected, he would waive any repayments on those payroll taxes.

But, Brooke, we should note that is not something that the president can do unilaterally. He would need Congress to step in. And so that's another seemingly false promise that the president is making as he's trying to get reelected -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, this is all quite complicated and could get very messy.

Jeremy Diamond, thank you for the context around all of that. Still ahead: President Trump calls for college sports to return, but

it doesn't look good, as the nation's top five conferences are debating whether or not to cancel the entire college football season.

And the president is denying a new report that indicates that the White House asked if his face could be added to Mount Rushmore, but he says that it's a good idea. We're going to talk about that.

And violence and looting break out in Chicago after an officer- involved shooting, 13 officers hurt, 100 people arrested. We will talk about that as well.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:29]

BALDWIN: We're back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

A monumental request from this White House. "The New York Times" is reporting that the president's aides reached out to South Dakota's governor to ask about the process of adding additional presidents, in this case, Trump, to Mount Rushmore, yes, the Mount Rushmore.

The president responded to the report in a tweet, denying that he ever made that request, but he is not exactly opposed to it either. In fact, the president made sure to mention that he thinks it is -- quote, unquote -- "a good idea."

And then he went on to tweet out this photo just to give us an idea of what it would look like, but, remember, he's totally denying he ever even asked.

Here with me now to discuss this CNN politics reporter and editor at large Chris Cillizza, along with Toluse Olorunnipa, CNN political analyst and White House reporter for "The Washington Post."

So, gentlemen, we got a lot to get through here.

Chris, I'm going to start with you.

This isn't the first time that Trump has mused over vanity projects. But is the president just trolling here or what?

CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: No, I think he genuinely would like to be on Mount Rushmore or some other similar mountain that has available carving space, which, by the way, Mount Rushmore doesn't.

Yes, I mean, look at think about who Donald Trump is. Right? Brooke, he's a real estate guy, right? He's the one who said that George Washington made a mistake because he didn't put his name on Mount Vernon, right? He thinks that's how you preserve your legacy.

And he's someone who has made very clear he believes himself to be up there with Lincoln in terms of who's gotten the most done in a first term. He said that repeatedly.

So I don't think we should be surprised. And, again, if you think Donald Trump is joking, remember that he says he's joking about many things that he's not joking about to buy himself some level of plausible deniability.

BALDWIN: And I wish -- Toluse, I wish I could say that this was the most bizarre thing we have seen from this administration in a while.

But you, sir, were actually at the president's Bedminster golf club on Saturday, where he held this news conference. So, before we chat, here's a clip of him flipping out on you for asking why some of his supporters in the room were not wearing masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Just in this room, you have dozens of people are not following the guidelines in New Jersey which say you should not have more than 25 people--

TRUMP: No, they don't have to. This is a political activity.

OLORUNNIPA: So why are you setting a -- why are you setting such a bad example, Mr. President, for the country?

(BOOING)

TRUMP: Yes. You're wrong on that, because it's a political activity. They have exceptions, political activity.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: And it's also a peaceful protest. So when you have an -- and as you know--

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK, so I want you to give us a little bit of context, because for people who weren't watching or don't know what the clapping or who the audience was, I want you to explain that please.

[15:20:03]

And, also, just let me point out the U.S. has now surpassed five million coronavirus cases. And this is how the president is behaving.

What is with all the mixed messages on masks still?

OLORUNNIPA: Yes, this was an unexpected news conference that the president called at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

And when we, the press pool, got there, we were surprised to see members of his club sort of having their happy hour in the back of this news conference, people bringing wine glasses in their sort of Friday afternoon outfits after a day at the golf club, not social distancing, not wearing masks, and participating in this news conference by booing the press, cheering the president, jeering at reporters who mentioned that this gathering was not in line with New Jersey guidelines, which say you should not have dozens of people in a room indoors not social distancing, not wearing masks.

And during this news conference, President Trump said that the coronavirus pandemic was disappearing and was going to disappear. And I asked him, why are you saying that this is disappearing, when thousands of people are dying every week?

And, in your own club as a business owner, you're not following the guidelines of the state, you're not following the guidelines of your own public health officials, who say, if we're going to get control of this pandemic, we have to have everyone on board, social distancing, wearing masks, and not having gatherings for nonessential reasons.

And the president said that it was essential, it was a peaceful protest, and that his gathering was a political gathering. And for that reason, he could have as many people as you wanted. It was quite a bizarre night. And it's another example of the president offering mixed messages, trying to lead the country, but not leading by example.

BALDWIN: I mean -- quote, unquote -- "peaceful protest," based on the chairs in the room. And the president's stance on masks appears to be really energizing his base.

Chris, it's no doubt -- we have talked about this -- this has become political. But why is this being used as some sort of rallying cry?

CILLIZZA: Oh, because he's in a really bad place politically, Brooke.

I mean, coronavirus has -- his handling of coronavirus has tracked with a major decline in his polling numbers. Look, you have a large majority of people in virtually every national poll saying they do not approve of the way in which Donald Trump has handled the coronavirus epidemic. That's changed since March. It's gone -- basically, it's straight downhill.

That corresponds with his poll numbers. His approval ratings are low 40s, at best. He's behind Joe Biden in virtually every swing state, as well as national polling, by between eight and 10 points. And when you are backed into a corner, you do what you know best, which is appeal to your base and politicize everything.

This -- I feel like I say this anytime I'm on television, but I'm going to say it again. The mask wearing does not have to be and should not be any sort of political statement. It is a public health decision for yourself and for other people, whether you are vulnerable in a vulnerable community or someone is or someone you don't know might be.

That's it. It really -- in a world in which everything is political, this seems to be the kind of thing that we should just agree isn't. Donald Trump has latched on to it because it's all he has. He thinks it's a life raft. I -- in terms of his political chances, I personally don't think that's accurate.

BALDWIN: OK.

I want to pivot. Let's talk Joe Biden. We could learn as early as today why Joe Biden has -- who Joe Biden has chosen as a running mate. So far, we know it'll be a woman. And now Congresswoman Maxine Waters says she is confident it will be a black woman.

Chris, who's on the list at the top?

CILLIZZA: Well, yes, so let me give you -- I put out my last rankings yesterday because I think Biden will make a decision sometime this week. He said he will.

So I think, really, you have got a handful, but the top two, if we're talking about, is Kamala Harris, who's been, I think, at the top of this list throughout, California senator, former California attorney general.

She just checks the most boxes, generational change, has experience, knows Biden through his son Beau. The only thing that I'd say is I had her number one and Susan Rice number two. I probably should have said 1 and 1-A, because I actually think Joe Biden wants a governing pick, right?

He's up by eightish points. He and his team believe, if they execute, they're going to win, he is going to be the 46th president.

So you pick someone in Susan Rice who he is simpatico with, former Obama administration official, and someone who, if you believe at the core of Biden's message is, we need to remake how America is perceived in this country and the world, this is a diplomat, this is someone who has done it.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CILLIZZA: So, in my opinion, it's those two, which, if my past prognostication of prior veepstakes are accurate, don't pick either of them in your presidential veepstakes pool.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: I got you. Got you.

But I think that a lot of people are in line with what you're thinking for the veepstakes, but TBD. We can all -- we will all be surprised.

Toluse, my final question to you on Biden is, over the weekend, we saw him out and about on his bike, and a lot of people are wondering -- here he is -- was this a strategic move?

[15:25:00]

OLORUNNIPA: Well, it's apparent that Biden wants to show that he has not only the mental ability, but the physical ability to be president, that he's able to be out and about. He's been getting hit left and right by the Trump campaign for -- quote, unquote -- "hiding in his basement."

So I do think he wanted to show the American public that he is able to kind of be out there and have those kind of iconic American president images of being out in the public exercising, sort of having this everyday man kind of image.

And I do think we will see more of that over the next three months. We will see the former vice president out in public, not only doing these basement interviews, but also sort of campaigning in a more traditional way, obviously following the public health guidelines.

But I do expect we will see him more. That's partly an opportunity for them to show that not only is he mentally up to the job, but physically, at 77, he can do the job of president as well.

BALDWIN: Toluse Olorunnipa, thank you so much. Chris Cillizza, great to see you as well.

OLORUNNIPA: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Guys, thank you.

By the way, the political convention starts one week from tonight. First up are the Democrats and Joe Biden starting next Monday, and then the Republicans and Donald Trump take the spotlight August 24.

And, of course, CNN will have special live coverage every single night starting at 8:00 Eastern.

Now, the prospect of no college football this year is a very real one, as the nation's top five conferences are debating canceling the whole season. We will talk about that next.

And an officer-involved shooting sparks a night of looting and violence in Chicago, hundreds of people trashing stores along the city's Magnificent Mile -- a live report ahead.

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