Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Appear for First Time as Running Mates; Parts of Europe are Grappling with Uptick in Coronavirus Cases; Brazil Reports 55,000 New Cases and Almost 1,200 Deaths; New Zealand Reports 14 New Coronavirus Cases as Officials Warn of More Infections to Come; Beirut Explosion: Parliament to Meet for First Time Since Explosion; Taiwan Worried it Will be the Next Hong Kong; Biden and Harris Appear First Time as Running Mates; How Kamala Harris' Shaped her Political Views; Coronavirus in the United States Moving Average of New Cases; Seasons Postponed for Some College Football; Florida Sheriff Bans Masks for Staff and Visitors; CDC Director on Prevention Says We All Got To Do It; New Outbreaks Jeopardize School Reopening; European Countries Come to Opposition's Defense; Bringing Smiles to Coronavirus Patients. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 13, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, former prosecutor Kamala Harris lays out her case against Donald Trump in her first appearance as Joe Biden's vice presidential running mate.

Some European countries are trying to stave off another COVID wave after seeing rise in cases.

And New Zealand's prime minister says the country's new outbreak likely will get worse before it gets better. We will have the latest in a live report.

Good to have you with us. They took the state for the first time as running mates. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are holding their first campaign event together in Delaware.

In a COVID-19 era, it was a far different look. There were social distancing, masks, and no large cheering crowds of supporters. And just one day after Biden announced his pick for vice president, the two made their message clear to win the battle for what Biden calls the 'soul of America.'

Jessica Dean has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first look and historic ticket.

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I had great choice but I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of United States of America. That is Senator Kamala Harris.

DEAN (voice-over): Newly-named vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris joining the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, today in Wilmington, Delaware.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA): I couldn't be prouder to be by his side running to represent you, the people.

DEAN (voice-over): Biden also taking President Trump's criticism of his pick head on.

BIDEN: Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman or strong women across the board?

DEAN (voice-over): After the event, Harris and Biden, along with their spouses, headlined an online fundraiser with grassroots supporters.

BIDEN: Yesterday, we had our best grassroots fundraising day of the campaign. More than double our previous record. And in doing so, we set a single-day record for online political fundraising. And I think I know why.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

DEAN (voice-over): Today's events come just one day after Biden announced his historic choice.

BIDEN: You ready to go to work?

HARRIS (voice-over): Oh, my God. I am so ready to go to work.

DEAN (voice-over): A new campaign video released today showed the moment Biden told Harris she was his pick. Ninety minutes later, his decision was announced to the world.

BIDEN: First of all, is the answer yes?

HARRIS (voice-over): The answer is absolutely yes!

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS (voice-over): I am ready to work. I am ready to do this with you, for you. I'm just deeply honored and I'm very excited.

DEAN (voice-over): Biden's decision to choose Harris follows a month- long vetting process that began with at least 20 women. Over the last 10 days, Biden conducted one-on-one interviews with the final 11 perspective nominees, either in person or over video chat.

HARRIS: The attorney general of the state of Delaware -- DEAN (voice-over): During her interview, Harris spoke at length about her friendship with Biden's late son Beau Biden. Harris and Beau Biden served as attorneys general together.

HARRIS: I learned quickly that Beau was the kind of guy who inspired people to be a better version of themselves. He really was the best of us. And when I would ask him, where did you get that, where did this come from, he'd always talk about his dad.

DEAN (voice-over): Now, with his vice presidential search behind him, Biden believes he has the right person by his side.

BIDEN: Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. She is ready to do this job on day one.

DEAN (on camera): Joe Biden making the announcement on Wednesday night that his campaign has raised $26 million in the 24 hours since Kamala Harris joined the ticket.

To give you a little bit of context, earlier in this campaign season, that's more than he raised in some months.

Jessica Dean, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And Donald Trump wasted no time slamming Harris after she was named Biden's vice president pick. And just one day after calling her "nasty" and "mean," the U.S. president said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, he made a choice. He picked her. I watched her. I watched her poll numbers go boom, boom, boom, down to almost nothing.

[03:05:03]

D. TRUMP: And she left angry. She left mad. There was nobody more insulting to Biden than she was. She said horrible things about him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now is David Swerdlick, a CNN political commentator and assistant editor at The Washington Post. Good to talk with you.

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, ASSISTANT EDITOR AT THE WASHINGTON POST: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So we all watched this historic moment, Joe Biden taking to the stage along with his new vice presidential running mate, Kamala Harris, breaking through numerous glass ceilings there. How did they go?

SWERDLICK: So, it's hard to say what is going to happen in these next two and a half months or what happens in November. But I would say it's objectively that the Biden-Harris ticket won the day today.

As you said, it's a barrier breaking moment on the ticket. First, South Asian American woman, second, African-American, fourth woman, excuse me, on a major party ticket.

And then you have a situation where, you know, they came out, both gave speeches that complemented each other, you know, captivated the social media audience, and drove home the messages that the Democrats want to go into their convention next week with.

The line from Biden was, is it any wonder that Donald Trump doesn't like a strong woman. And the line from Senator Harris was the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut. That's how they made their points and the speeches were well received. We'll see if Democrats can carry that momentum into next week.

CHURCH: Yes, certainly. And Harris went after President Trump over his failure to contain the coronavirus, among other things. He hit back, repeating his nasty woman stereotype that he likes to use, but he struggled with his attack message. What did that back and forth signal to you about the likely road ahead?

SWERDLICK: So Rosemary, this is the reason why Senator Harris was picked. She gives President Trump and the Pence-Trump ticket a smaller target than some of the other potential contenders.

If you would have had Ambassador Rice on the ticket, Benghazi would have come back in. If Congresswoman Bass had been the running mate, Cuba would have been an issue. If Senator Warren had been on the ticket, Pocahontas would have been the Trump insult for the next two and a half months.

But with Senator Harris, of course, there are areas where she's received criticism, some for her record as a prosecutor, some for her performance early on in the democratic primary, but it's a much smaller target, a much harder lift for President Trump to insult her, to denigrate her than some of those other candidates.

That, I think, is why you've seen an ineffective response so far from Trump and other Republicans in terms of trying to tear her down. That doesn't mean Republicans won't figure out their messaging as they head into their convention two weeks from now, but it does mean that they are slow out of the gate.

CHURCH: Of course. So, what do you think the optics are and the substance of this democratic team going up against too old white guys on the republican ticket? And do you expect far-left progressives to get on board and vote this time?

SWERDLICK: So, if there's any area where the Biden-Harris ticket is going to have a little trouble is with people on the far-left who wanted to see a Sanders presidency or maybe an Elizabeth Warren presidency and maybe see Senator Warren on the ticket.

But where we've come now, with coronavirus, with campaigning at a bare minimum, with a candidate like Vice President Biden who is seen by many as a caretaker, whose main selling point is that he could beat President Trump rather than a selling point about a particular issue or policy proposal, you have Senator Harris coming in now just sort of supplement that ticket.

They are both mainline Democrats. She is considerably younger than him, a woman, in that sense different, but they're both established Democrats who are meant to unify the broad part of the Democratic Party.

You've seen so far by the reaction, by various voices in the party, that most people are comfortable falling in line behind this ticket. We will see if voters under 40, especially voters of color under 40, and people on the far-left of the Democratic Party fall in as we head toward November.

CHURCH: All right. David Swerdlick, always a pleasure. Thanks so much.

SWERDLICK: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Parts of Europe are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and it's leading to fears of a second wave of outbreaks. Spain has the highest number of cases on the continent right now.

[03:10:00]

CHURCH: Al Goodman is tracking this troubling data from La Coruna, a coastal city in Northwest Spain. Good to see you, Al.

It has to be said Spain did work so very hard to get that first wave under control. What is driving these new cases?

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. Well, here on the northwest coast, this is an inlet to the Atlantic Ocean, and clear across the nation to Barcelona on the Mediterranean and the Spanish islands in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, there is concern from the officials and also from the regional officials because, as you say, the nationwide lockdown was lifted six weeks ago and it really did effectively tamped down that first wave over three months.

It was a national response. But now, as that has been lifted in the month of June, it is the 17 regional governments, each one across the country, that are applying their own measures, and what has been happening is that the cases have been shooting up.

So right now, Spain has more than 329,000 cases. That is even higher than Britain. Britain still is way ahead, unfortunately, in the death category. Spain is not there. But in the number of cases, this is the troubling thing. You're seeing it in France, in Germany, but especially here in Spain.

So what is driving it? It is especially the -- basically young people at drinking parties, at discotheques, and outdoors here in the summer. People were so cooped up. They wanted to get outside. You have seasonal farm workers in an area in the center -- the north center of the country who are living in a very cramped quarters, picking peaches and pears, that has been a major problem.

It is also family gatherings. This is a very social country. Weddings, large weddings, more than 100 people, nobody wearing a mask, it has caused some problems. Mask use is now mandatory across most of the country, all times in public. I'm not wearing one because I am set back from people.

But for instance here in the region of Galicia, here in this northwest region, just issuing an order that they're gonna ban smoking in public places unless there are two meters or six feet between the people. And there are reports that three other regions of Spain, including along the coastal side of the Mediterranean, are also gonna do that.

Now, although there are 600 outbreaks across the country, a top Spanish health official from the government says this is not yet the second wave. But what is concerning him and also doctors across the country is that there are not enough contact tracers to get on these cases and find out when there is an outbreak, for instance a wedding, get to all those people before they go and infect a bunch of other people.

And also the number of patients of coronavirus patients entering a hospital is now moving up very suddenly, and a particular concern, the same thing is happening with the ICUs.

So, it's a very troubling situation. We are expecting to hear it from the government a little later this day on their latest thinking on this. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. We will wait to hear what they have to say. Al Goodman, many thanks. Appreciate it.

While Spain fights the pandemic, Germany is battling a surging number of its own COVID-19 cases. But apparently, that's not stopping these travellers at Frankfurt Airport from flying to Spain. Germany has issued travel warnings for Madrid and several other Spanish regions. But tourists who spoke to Reuters don't seem worried and say they will follow local restrictions while they are in Spain.

France has just recorded its biggest jump in new daily cases since easing lockdown restrictions. More than 2,500 cases were registered on Wednesday, the sharpest increase since May 6th.

The health minister says the spike has not put a strain on hospitals since the virus is circulating mainly among younger people. He also says the number of infections leading to serious complications is lower than it was back in February and March.

In Brazil, health officials say another 55,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus, including the governor of Sao Paulo. The country is seeing the second worst outbreak in the world and the infection rate is not showing any significant drop.

Shasta Darlington reports the death toll keeps rising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Brazil, the coronavirus has claimed new victims, including the grandmother of the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, who died overnight after being hospitalized for weeks with COVID-19. Michelle Bolsonaro and the president, Jair Bolsonaro, were diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. The president, who has now recovered, has consistently downplayed the severity of the virus.

The governor of Brazil's Sao Paulo State, Joao Doria, also announced on Wednesday that he tested positive for the virus, making him Brazil's 11th governor to become infected.

Meanwhile, Brazil reported 1,175 additional deaths and more than 55,000 new cases in a 24-hour period, bringing the total number of infections to well over 3.1 million.

[03:15:02]

DARLINGTON: Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: New Zealand has confirmed 14 new COVID-19 cases, just a day after re-imposing restrictions in parts of the country. Many residents have rushed to stores to stock up on essentials. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is warning New Zealanders to expect the new outbreak to get worse before things get better.

So let us bring in Will Ripley, who is tracking this disturbing new outbreak. Will, talk to us because we know -- we have talked to a lot about how well New Zealand did in the initial stages. We're only talking about a few cases here but they certainly respond rapidly there. Talk to us about what is going on.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, fewer than 20 cases in two days is a number that many places would celebrate. But in New Zealand, they went 102 days without a single locally transmitted case of COVID-19. They thought that they have the nation hermetically sealed, safe from the virus.

But as we have learned here in Hong Kong and in many other places around the world, now even in New Zealand, there, it finds a way. And what they're looking at now is that a lot of these new cases, including the original four in the same household, are either employees or family members of employees at refrigerated temperature- controlled warehouse called AmeriCold which is actually based there in Atlanta, Rosemary.

But we talked about the possibility of cargo coming in, especially in a kind of temperature-controlled environment where the virus can last longer, could potentially pose a threat. Now, they have to take a look at how they are cleaning the packaging and they're going to test, obviously, everybody who works at that facility to see if there are any more positive cases.

So this is why the contact tracing is so important and why it needs to happen quickly and why you need a quick turnaround on the test, because people get the test is confirmed that they have COVID-19 and they go to everybody that they've seen in the last two weeks or so, and what New Zealand has been able to pinpoint, Rosemary, is that a lot of these cases are tied to this particular facility.

And as result, Auckland, its largest city remains on lockdown. Schools are closed. Nobody can visit senior citizens at elder care centers because they are such a high risk group. All nonessential businesses are closed, as well.

So that little loophole has now led to new restrictions across the entire nation. Stage two restrictions for everybody outside of Auckland. Auckland is at stage three. There are even police checkpoints set up, Rosemary, to make sure that people are compliant.

CHURCH: Yeah. Comparing these responses is just incredible, every single day. Will Ripley, joining us there from Hong Kong, many thanks.

Well, a CNN exclusive. Taiwan's foreign minister is accusing Beijing of trying to turn the self-governing island into the next Hong Kong. Our interview with Joseph Wu, that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back. The Lebanese government admits the president had been told on July 20th about large amounts of volatile ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut's port.

Now, we are getting a new look at the moment of last week's explosion. This perspective is from a nearby hospital. Closed circuit cameras inside show windows being shattered as patients and medical workers ran for cover. Four nurses were killed. Very disturbing vision there.

And Parliament is set to meet soon for the first time since the explosion. CNN's Sam Kiley is in the Lebanese capital with details. He joins us now. And Sam, how might this news of the president was made recently aware of those stored chemicals, how might that all play out?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, he did say that he was aware of the storage of the chemicals fairly soon after the blast. He had asked the administration to do something about it, insisting that he didn't have the power to order the movement of this. This is simply a confirmation of what he had already said was the case.

But more widely, there is supposed to be an investigation going on into how it was possible that this material was stored there, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port in Beirut, which is very central to the city, for nearly six years through a number of administrations.

As a consequence of that detonation, a week and a day ago, Rosemary, the government resigned, parliament itself is due to meet again today to formally accept a number of resignations of its members who resigned in protest over this explosion.

They can't meet though in the normal locations, in downtown Beirut, in the actual parliament. They are going to be meeting in that building behind me which is known as the UNESCO Palace. They have met there before because of the protests that sporadically broken out around the city, preventing them from getting access to parliament.

There were anticipated to be a number of protests today ahead of the reconvening of the parliamentarians in about 45 minutes. At the moment, protests have been pretty small. They've been going down in scale. They have occasionally been quite violent over the last week or so.

And there are a number of explanations for that, not the least, that the wind has been knocked out of the city. People are hurting here. There's still a great deal of cleaning up to be done. One hundred and sixty people have been killed, many thousands more wounded, hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless or some with very serious damage to their homes.

The economy remains in free fall. This is not an economy that international donors are prepared to help out by donations between countries to the government or indeed between international organizations to the government.

The meeting last weekend under the auspices of the French president came up with $300 million of aid for Lebanon, but specifically said it would not be given to the Lebanese government, but to non-government organizations, aid organizations effectively.

The reason for that is that much like the Lebanese people, the international community doesn't trust the Lebanese government. The outgoing government that resigned is now in an administrative capacity until a new one can be signed in -- be put together rather.

And there is very, very, very little faith indeed that the previous governments, future governments, present administrations are going to be anything less corrupt, any less negligent, and any less incompetent than their predecessors, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Sam Kiley, bringing us up-to-date there from Beirut, many thanks.

Taiwan's foreign minister says China is trying to turn Taiwan into the next Hong Hong.

CNN's Paula Hancocks spoke exclusively with Joseph Wu about his concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH WU, TAIWAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: The message was very clear. It was a show of support by the U.S. government to Taiwan. Not only to Taiwan being successful in dealing with this pandemic, but also to Taiwan as a whole. The United States understands that Taiwan is under threat, either military threat or diplomatic threat. And the United States is a very close partner of Taiwan.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Tensions in the region have been increasing in recent months. China has been carrying out more military drills. Taiwan has been carrying out more military drills. I mean, where does this lead?

WU: I'm worried about the situation. It's not just the Taiwan Strait.

[03:24:58]

WU: If you look at Each China Sea, our Japanese friends are very concerned about the Chinese sending vessels to the disputed waters all the time. The tension was also running high in East China Sea. And look at the situation in Hong Kong. The international community is trying to figure out a way to help the people in Hong Kong.

Look at the South China Sea. The militarization in South China Sea is also a spot for concern. There was also a border dispute in between India and China. So, along the Chinese borders, there are plenty of issues for us to worry about.

HANCOCKS (on camera): You have said that you are worried Taiwan will become the next Hong Kong. Can you explain that?

WU: I think they will try to impose what they say is the one country two systems model on Taiwan. That is turning Taiwan into the next Hong Kong when China is facing domestic difficulties. They might want to divert their domestic attention by creating a crisis outside China, and sometimes we worry that Taiwan might become a scapegoat of China's own problems.

And in order to prevent China from taking Taiwan over or initiating any kind of force against Taiwan, we need to handle regulations in a very potent matter.

HANCOCKS (on camera): There is an election coming up in November. You have had very strong support from the Trump administration. Do you believe you will have that from -- if Vice President Biden takes the White House, do you think that strong support would continue?

WU: We have support from both sides of the aisle, and I'm very confident that Taiwan-U.S. relationships will remain strong and sound, whatever happens in Washington D.C.

Of course, the defense of Taiwan is our responsibility. And we will continue to strengthen our own defense capabilities and to show to the international community our determination to defend ourselves.

But at the same time, we can count on the U.S. support either in the security type of cooperation or in a sell of necessary weapons for Taiwan to be able to defend itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Taipei. An incredible interview there, Paula. I particularly want to look at where Joseph Wu talked to in terms of Taiwan possibly becoming another Hong Kong. But China wouldn't have the leadership of Taiwan on their side as they did in Hong Kong. It would be a harder situation. Was he perhaps overreacting in that situation? How vulnerable are they?

HANCOCKS: Rosemary, he was very clear that Taiwan is clearly very different to Hong Kong. It's a different situation and pointing out that Beijing has actually never been in control of Taiwan and has never actually run the island.

So, he did admit that there were differences. But he said that given what has happened with Hong Kong, it has happened so quickly with the national security law, things that many within Hong Kong (INAUDIBLE) couldn't happen because of the international condemnation that would follow.

He was worried by the fact that Beijing didn't seem to be that concerned by the international condemnation and that they were continuing with their plans regardless.

He did say that what was important to make sure that they don't suffer the same fate was to have more international support. Of course, the issue with that is that Beijing does isolate countries that do support Taiwan very vocally and do have official ties with Taiwan. And Beijing is isolating Taiwan when it comes to global institutions.

The World Health Organization, for example, the WHO, Taiwan did have observed (ph) status and now no longer does because Beijing is trying to isolate it.

So I think this is one of the concerns that Minister Wu has, that even though there is international support and condemnation for Hong Kong, there is a limit to what can actually be done. He is concerned that could be the case for Taiwan, as well.

CHURCH: Indeed, and of course, U.S. health minister Alex Azar was recently there in Taiwan and China was not happy at all.

Paula Hancocks, many thanks, joining us there from Taipei with that exclusive interview. I appreciate it.

Joe Biden's running mate has roots in India. We will head there next to learn how Kamala Harris's heritage helped shape her political views.

Plus, a shocking number of Americans are dying every day from COVID- 19. But there are hopeful signs the infection rate is finally calming down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we go to our first look of the Democratic ticket in the U.S. presidential race when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appeared together for the first time as running mates in Delaware. During their speeches, they slammed President Trump with Harris saying he was not, in her words, up to the job. Harris is making history as the first black woman and first person of Indian descent to join a major political party's ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), 2020 U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We my mother and father, they came from opposite sides of the world to arrive in America, one from India and the other from Jamaica.

And search of a world class education, but what brought them together was the civil rights movement of the 1960s. And that's how they met, as students, in the streets of Oakland. Marching and shouting for the thing called justice and a struggle that continues today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for more, let's head to New Delhi and CNN's Vedika Sud who joins us now via Skype. Good to talk with you. So, you had an opportunity to talk to some of Kamala Harris' maternal family. What did they tell you about her and the influences she came into?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, I spoke with the maternal uncle of Harris who's 80 years old but he so active for his age. I must mention that. An anecdote that he mentioned, which is very interesting to me, was the influence of her mother on Harris.

Now, imagine a 19 year old Indian woman deciding to go overseas for her education. She traveled all alone. One fine day she told her parents that I want to go abroad, I want to go to America, I want to go to U.C. Berkeley and I want to study there.

Her parents were extremely progressive, so the father I believe said all right, Charlone (ph), go ahead, I can only sponsor you for a year, after that you're on your own and she did live up to the expectations. She managed to complete her doctorate there and then she joined the civil rights movement as well when she was in University.

A lasting impression on Senator Harris is from the mother as well as the maternal grandfather, who she used to visit very often in India. Those were her roots that she keeps talking about so proudly. Here's more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: My mother, who raised me and my sister was a proud woman. She was a brown woman. She was a women with a heavy accent.

SUD: And her mother Shyamala Gopalan was also the biggest influence in Kamala Harris' life.

HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe.

SUD: After the big announcement Harris and her sitter wrote on a Twitter post, you can't know who Kamala Harris is without knowing who our mother was.

In 1958, a precautious 19-year-old Indian Gopalan traveled thousands of miles from home and family to pursue a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology in America. She soon became an active civil rights crusader while studying at U.C. Berkeley.

[03:35:15]

GOPALAN BALACHANDRAN, KAMALA HARRIS' UNCLE: Once you are in there, she always felt free and she took part in politics, she used to bring whole series of leftist literature from Karl Popper, he was a great philosopher.

SUD: In her book, Harris says, there is no title or honor on earth I'll treasure more than to say I am Shamala Gopalan Harris' daughter. Harris' visits to India with her mother kept her connected to her roots. Her grandfather who had strong views on humanitarian issues were closely with officials to reallocate refugees. Their conversations had a strong influence on her.

HARRIS: Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me before I even realized it. It has led me to where I am today.

SUD: Harris' maternal uncle Gopalan Balachandran, who lives in Delhi tells us how the Senator turns to her amma, which means mother in (inaudible) for guidance even after her death.

BALACHANDRAN: I don't have to tell her make your mother proud. She'll say what are you telling me? Everything that I do, I ask myself, would amma approve this.

SUD: Kamala in Hindi means lotus flower. And it's an important symbol in Indian culture. Rooted deep in the bottom of the river, very similar to Harris' Indian identity, which she wears on her sleeve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUD: There is no doubt that the primary source of learning for Senator Harris was from her mother's experiences and the conversations that she had with her maternal grandfather when she visited India, which is very often, accompanying her mother or when the grandparents would visit them in America. Back to you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is an incredible story. Vedika Sud, joining us live from New Delhi. Many thanks.

SUD: Thank you.

CHURCH: A staggering 166,000 Americans have now died of COVID-19, including nearly 1,500 on Wednesday, but even as the death toll climbs, the rate of infection has begun to slow in much of the U.S.

CNN's Athena Jones has the latest from across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, new coronavirus infections

holding steady or falling in 44 states, the U.S. averaging just under 53,000 new cases a day for the last seven days. An 11 percent dropped from the previous week, but still far too high.

MICHAEL MINA, IMMUNOLOGIST, HARVARD CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: We should not settle for having 50,000 new cases per day. Any cases anywhere really keep risk pretty high all across the entirety of the United States.

JONES: With COVID deaths nationwide still surging, averaging more than 1,000 a day for 16 straight days, Florida and Georgia hitting new records for daily deaths, Tuesday. Those states also lead the country in new cases per capita over the past seven days.

And infections are surging in states like Indiana up about 18 percent over last week and North Dakota with about 20 percent more cases this week. Data from the health department in Louisiana, another state where daily deaths are climbing show some of the risks associated with reopening the economy, 835 cases traced back to bars, restaurants, or casinos.

COLLEEN KRAFT, ASSOCIATED CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, EMERY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: We are now going to be living with COVID for a long time because of the sluggish response in the United States.

JONES: There is new information about the toll COVID-19 is taking on health care workers. A database developed by Kaiser Health News and the Guardian newspaper showing more than 900 have reportedly died from the virus. And amid often conflicting messages on masks, new guidance from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not enough people are following these guidelines.

JONES: Urging people to wear face coverings in indoor public settings, over the nose and chin. Minimizing any gaps. It says cloth masks should have at least two layers of fabric, preferably three.

Meanwhile, dozens of COVID cases now surfacing in schools in Georgia, Indiana, and Mississippi, affecting plans everywhere. Some 400 teachers in Elizabeth, New Jersey, refusing to return to in-person instruction. Forcing the district to begin the school year virtually.

ASHLEY DELCUETO, SENIOR, FRANK J. CICARELL ACADEMY: I'm a little disappointed in that, but I'm also concerned for the safety of my classmates and myself.

JONES: Concerns about community spread also threatening college sports with the Big 10, the Pack 12, the Mountain West, and the Mid- American conferences all postponing the fall season. Even as the Big 12 plans to play.

VIVEK MURTHY, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: What was true in the spring is still true today, that the road to reopening sports, schools, and the economy lies in dramatically reducing rates of infection in the community? JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:40:11]

CHURCH: Well, by now, we have learned that getting some Americans to wear a mask has been a hard sell. Ordering people not to wear masks, well that defies logic. But a local sheriff in central Florida has done just that. With few exceptions, deputy's staff and visitors are now forbidden to wear them.

Marian County sheriff Billy Woods writes in an email, now I can already hear the winning and just so you know, I did not make this decision easily. The fact, is the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn't. That's actually false, of course.

But it's worth noting that even the U.S. president who took months to finally mask up in public is providing 125 million masks to school districts nationwide.

Well, Dr. Peter Drobac is a global health expert at the University of Oxford in England, and he joins me now. Welcome.

PETER DROBAC, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, OXFORD SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL: Thanks Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, we just heard from a Florida sheriff who is banning masks, but that goes against everything medical experts are telling us, and CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield is calling on all Americans to wear a mask, wash hands, social distance, stay away from crowds and get a flu shot to avoid what could be the worst fall in U.S. history.

How critical is it that everyone follow this advice and should the president and all leaders, in fact, be sending exactly the same message to hammer this home and turn this around?

DROBAC: Absolutely. You know, at the stage, banning masks is akin to banning seatbelt or removing stop signs from intersections. It's just a dereliction of duty. We know that this works. We know that while it's a minor inconvenience, it can go a long way to helping to stem this pandemic.

And so, to everyone out there, whatever it is that you care about, if that's getting your kids back in school, wear a mask. If it's having football back, wear a mask. It's something that we all need to do to keep ourselves and our love ones safe.

CHURCH: And perhaps, a lesson to us all, we are now seeing Europe fight off a possible second wave of COVID-19 after initially containing it. If everyone across Europe had continued to wear masks and social distance, would they be seeing these new cases right now, do you think? DROBAC: Will, first, we should note that the levels of infection we

are seeing in Europe are still far lower than the U.S., but of course we are right to be concerned. I think it's a combination of individual behaviors and policies after containing that initial really terrible surge, I think a lot of governments were really anxious to get the economy's open. And many of them reopen too quickly.

Many of them rely on tourism and so to open their borders to tourists and that helped to kind of fuel the spread. But we also then saw a level of complacency, particularly amongst younger adults who are getting back out there into clubs and bars and parties. And at least in some of the countries, we have seen as we did in Florida, the new infections skewing younger, but eventually that really generalizes.

We know that quick action is important, and so steps now to -- certainly to promote universal masking and probably to pull back on some of those reopenings and you know, maybe to close down some of the high-risk settings like bars and clubs and restaurants would be very prudent.

CHURCH: Right, and of course there is a lot of debate right now over when it's safe to open up schools for in-person learning, and here in the state of Georgia, schools were forced to close because so many students and teachers got infected. So, what's your advice for how schools can open safely?

DROBAC: Well, we've been hearing this and a lot of us have been saying this for weeks. The very first thing we need to do is really to crushed the virus and bring levels of transmission way, way, way down because if viruses circulating in the community, levels like it is in Georgia right now, it will be impossible to keep schools open for more than really a couple of days.

So, first and foremost, we need to actually get on top of this virus and that's going to require a society wide effort in a lot more government leadership. Once we do that, schools are going to need resources and protocols in place to help keep kids safe. I think, it's important to think about maybe not reopening all schools for all kids right away, when you get there, but to think about potentially some of the highest risk groups.

These are kids with special needs, kids the need workers, younger children and say, kindergarten and first grade who have the most to lose. That can light you to open up more safely without having to really overcrowd classrooms. Something that was actually done here effectively as a pilot in the U.K. back in June.

CHURCH: Dr. Drobac, thank you so much for your advice. I appreciate it.

DROBAC: Thanks for having me.

[03:45:00]

CHURCH: Well, turmoil in Belarus, opposition leaders say the president's grip on the country is slipping as protests persist over what many call a rigged election. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: An investigation is underway to find out what caused a deadly train derailment in northeast Scotland on Wednesday. Three people were killed including the train's driver. Six others were taken to the hospital.

There was heavy rain and a landslide in the area although authorities are not saying yet if that is what caused the train to derail. A report last month from the body which manages the U.K. rail network warned about the dangers of landslides.

Opposition leaders in Belarus say President Alexander Lukashenko has already lost his control over the country. Protests continue across Belarus in response to his declared victory in an election which one E.U. official called neither free nor fair.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen spoke with the last female opposition leader still in the country, who says change is coming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The protests against what many believe was a fraudulent election here in Belarus and against the government Alexander Lukashenko continue. Although the protesters have somewhat changed their tactics, they are beginning to be more decentralized to try and get out of the way of the security forces.

Now, the security forces are still continuing their crackdown. At the same time, I managed to speak to one of the last leaders of the opposition movement. One of the three female leaders and the last one who is actually still here in Belarus. And Maria Kolesnikova told me she believes that in the end they will prevail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA KOLESNIKOVA, BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I think that Belarusians now, now that they can do it, and they are sure they will do it. It's not on me, it's not on me, I'm not at Svetlana or (inaudible) or somebody else. They change themselves. Belarusians change themselves and it cannot be in the last in the 26 years.

We know that we are together and we know that together we are very strong, and we are able to say, stop it, stop this violence, stop this disrespect of the Belarusians nation. This, with the resistance, can be very long time, and of course, there are already losing. The government is already losing.

And now, it's a very important time to say, please, understand and please hear the Belarusians people because only when we stop this violence we can get (Inaudible) to each other, and together we can build or to start to build and a new Belarus.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PLEITGEN: Now she also told me that the opposition certainly

appreciates all the support that it is getting from the international community especially from countries on the European Union, but she also said that, in the end, it's going to have to be Belarusians who make change happen to themselves and from within. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Minsk, Belarus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:50:14]

CHURCH: Two brothers in Arizona have made their mission to remind COVID patients they are not alone. Coming up, I will speak with them about what inspired them to share messages of hope.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A thrilling finish in the champions' league quarter final, Italy's Atlanta clashed with French champions' Paris Saint-Germain, the Italian underdogs jumped out through an early lead with a goal midway through the first half And until the 89th minute of the match, it look like this would be enough for them to reach the semifinals in their first champion's league appearance.

But PSG's scored in the final minute to level it at one all, and then in the third minute of added time, they completed the comeback. Tremendous emotion all around. PSG are through to next week's semi- final. A first in 25 years. How about that?

Well, two brothers from the U.S. State of Arizona are spreading a message of hope by making homemade cards with inspirational messages for coronavirus patients. Hurshneet and Pravneet Chadha started Project Smile by bringing about 200 of the greeting cards to a local hospital.

They got help from their parents who are both doctors, and now other kids are joining in donating their cards to help put a smile on the faces of COVID patients. The brother say the positive feedback encourage them to create even more cards.

Joining me now are Hurshneet and Pravneet Chadha, the brothers behind Project Smile. Good to have you both with us.

HURSHNEET CHADHA, STARTED PROJECT SMILE: Thank you so much.

PRAVNEET CHADHA, STARTED PROJECT SMILE: Thank you so much.

CHURCH: And well done too. Now I want to find out from you what inspired you both do you start writing these cards to coronavirus patients to lift their spirits?

H. CHADHA: So basically what inspired us to start making this whole project thing was we once had a dinner table talk and we saw our parents consistently getting coronavirus patients around April and we were thinking how we could like do our part in helping this global pandemic and helping to change the lives of patients? So, we were thinking maybe making cards and just like putting happy

inspirational thoughts inside would help patients recover faster and help them feel kind at home where their family members can't visit them in the hospital. We wanted to address the mental health issues as well.

CHURCH: That's a wonderful story, and of course worth mentioning both your parents are doctors. So, talk to us about the types of messages you are putting in these cards. We saw some images there but talk to us, you know, what makes you want to write a particular thing in a particular card. How do you work out what you are going to say?

P. CHADHA: We mostly think of what would make us happy in a situation as well. So, we put ourselves in the patient's feet so we write things that are inspiring, some very positive quotes, inspirational quotes, happy messages and many other things inside the cards to make it.

[03:55:12]

CHURCH: That's great. And how many cards have you already sent out, and how long do you think you are going to keep doing this?

P. CHADHA: We've sent out 1,350 cards. We are thinking about doing this for as long as coronavirus is here.

CHURCH: That is amazing, and you mentioned that this was a school project. How does this feedback into school activities?

H. CHADHA: Well, basically, our school and its staff, students, many of them have joined together to help our project, donating cards to us through our peel box that we've set up, and we have basically -- they have helped so much with the project. They have literally helped contribute hundreds of cards to us and help us give the -- make the difference in patients' lives, and it's made us feel really happy.

CHURCH: That's great. And you've also put together what you are calling kits for kids. What's that for, and what is in that kit?

H. CHADHA: So, basically, we have -- look, we these project small kits -- here's one. We have these kits right here, and inside this kits, there's a letter from us that tells them ways to make cards and what to put in them. And why are we giving them these kits? We have basically some supplies that you can use to make these kits. Like, here's some stickers, crayons, we've got markers --

CHURCH: So this is basically to rally the troops and get some other kids on board to do exactly what you've been doing?

H. CHADHA: Yes. For sure. We are sending them to (inaudible) centers, so these kids that don't have very much entertainment, and they just want to have some fun, we give this to them as something to do, just to enjoy their time, make them feel happy, and it's a win-win.

CHURCH: It is a win-win, and thank you Hurshneet and Pravneet Chadha for everything you are doing here. I know that all of these patients have been appreciating these cards and we thank you for all that you've been doing.

H. CHADHA: Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be on this amazing interview.

CHURCH: Wonderful. Thank you so much, boys, and good luck.

Just incredible young men. Thank you so much for joining us, I'm Rosemary Church, I'll be back with more news after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END