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Trump Issues New Statements on Coronavirus Today; Operation Warp Speed Enrolling Insufficient Number of Black and Latino Participants; House to Return From Recess Early for Postal Service Relief Legislation. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired August 17, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Over the weekend, Stone shared a photo of her sister's hospital room with the caption, "This is her hospital room. One of you non-mask wearers did this."

In a post on her own page, Kelly wrote that she had driven with her husband to Montana, thinking they would avoid the virus. Now she said she is, quote, "fighting for a breath. You don't want COVID" -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Thanks very much.

It is the top of the hour, I'm Anderson Cooper. As cases of coronavirus spread across the United States, the ability to find and isolate them is on the decline. That's according to data from the COVID Tracking Project, which found that 15 states have conducted fewer tests this past week compared to the previous one.

At least one expert says the U.S. could be serious undercounting the number of Americans who are infected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM HASELTINE, CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT, ACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: The testing situation is not good in the United States. What we're not picking up are people who are contagious -- that's the right word to use, "contagious." We're probably missing eight out of 10 people who are contagious. And any decrease in testing is worrisome because we're already not doing well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: With the nation now home to about one-fourth of coronavirus cases worldwide, CNN has learned that President Trump has expressed enthusiasm -- at least in private -- about an unproven botanical extract touted as a therapeutic for COVID.

The extract getting Trump's attention this time, after his friend and founder of My Pillow, Mike Lindell, first raised the issue during a July meeting with the president in the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've heard of it, yes. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) asked the FDA to approve it?

TRUMP: No, I haven't, I haven't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it something you would support?

TRUMP: Is it something that people are talking about very strongly? We'll look at it, we'll look at it. We're looking at a lot of different things.

I will say the FDA's been great. They are very close -- we're very close to a vaccine, very close to a therapeutic. I've heard that name mentioned, we'll find out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: And Dr. Peter Hotez is professor and dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and a vaccine specialist.

Oleandrin is what it's called. It's an extract from a plant. The raw oleander plant is highly toxic, and consumption of it can be fatal -- that's the raw plant. Dr. Hotez, we saw the president push hydroxychloroquine, he says he even took that drug. Explain to us what oleandrin is and could it be considered as a possible treatment for coronavirus? Is there any evidence, actual evidence?

PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Yes, Anderson. Oleandrin is what's called a cardiac glycoside. You might have heard of digoxin or digitalis, from the digitalis plant, used to treat heart disease. That's also a cardiac glycoside from different plants.

Oleandrin is a natural substance from this plant. In the test tube, there's a group at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and MD Anderson -- actually some of my colleagues, so I know -- who have been looking at that substance in the test tube, looking at a number of -- a type of cell called the Vero cell, and showing some antiviral activity.

So it should be added to the list -- growing list -- of compounds that should be tested in laboratory animals. That's it, that's all -- that's where we're at at this point. We don't have anything else.

So the likelihood that this would actually emerge as a proven therapy is still remote because it still has to go through animal testing. And even after animal testing, it still could fail in clinical trials if it goes this far. So we're at least (INAUDIBLE) degrees of separation from taking this even seriously as a potential antiviral agent for COVID-19.

COOPER: The -- something having a reaction having in a test tube, that's still a faraway step from something that actually works to -- in human beings?

HOTEZ: That's right. There's so many compounds that in the testing show activity against COVID-19. I mean, even hydroxychloroquine showed activity in the test tube against COVID -- the COVID-19 virus, as it did against the influenza virus. And in both cases, it turned out to flop in terms of clinical testing. And in the case of oleandrin, it hasn't even been tested in laboratory animals.

So add it to a pretty large laundry list of compounds that's worth testing in clinical animals. Clearly, we're testing -- in laboratory animals. That's all we can say at this point. You can't say anything beyond that, absolutely.

COOPER: We should note that President Trump has never mentioned oleandrin publicly until today, and it's unclear whether he's raised it with the FDA. But oleandrin is a dietary supplement. The FDA generally does not approve dietary supplements.

The FDA's gone after hundreds of products for making false claims about diagnosing, preventing or treating COVID-19. What -- I mean at this stage, what would the FDA have to do or what should they do?

HOTEZ: Well as far as I know, nobody has submitted a dossier to the FDA. What I don't understand, coming out of the White House, again, is they have the access to the best scientists in the world, including those at the NIH and across our research universities and institutes. We have a number of potentially promising cures, treatments and of course vaccines in the pipeline.

[14:05:10]

Why pivot towards this? You know, this -- it's somewhat odd or bizarre the way the president or the White House tends to go for these really strange type of miracle cures, which, one, have minimal evidence. They still keep pushing it even after there's massive evidence showing that it doesn't work, so it's really odd.

I mean, there are some very promising monoclonal antibody treatments under evaluation including those from Regeneron and from AbCellera. And there's of course all the candidate vaccines. That's what they should be discussing that are moving through clinical trials under supervision of the FDA. We have the finest regulatory agency in the world, why try to bypass that, talking about craziness?

COOPER: Dr. Hotez, the president this morning weighed in on how the U.S. -- he believes how the U.S. has handled the pandemic. Let's listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP (via telephone): This happened to the world, not only us. You know, when they report, they don't report what's going on because they have new flare-ups in Germany, they have new flare-ups in France and Spain and Italy. They have flare-ups all over the place.

You know, they keep saying -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Australia.

TRUMP (via telephone): We've done phenomenally on this thing. And we're a, you know, very big country. You look at what's happening in Brazil, look what's happening in Sweden. Look at Sweden. You know they talk about, do it the Swedish way. Sweden is having a very hard time.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COOPER: I mean, a lot to unpack there. We certainly do report on what's happening in Europe. There have been flare-ups, as he says. But in this country, 170,000 people dead. His Task Force warnings are getting more dire and his assessment's getting more and more glowing.

HOTEZ: Yes. And not only that. I mean, he often talks about it as though it were in the past, you know, referring to what happened in New York during March and April, ignoring the inconvenient truth that the U.S. still leads the world in number of new cases per day over the last seven days and over the last seven days before that and over the last seven days before that. Also the U.S. leads the world in number of new deaths per day, we're still at a thousand deaths per day, accelerating towards 300,000 deaths by the end of the year.

And there's never been that ownership, that leadership to say, we've got a terrible tragedy on our hands, we've got to now take measures to implement a national program. It's as simple as that. They've refused.

This has always been about obfuscation, trying to minimize the clinical impact of COVID-19 or saying that we're not as bad as other countries when all of the evidence points to one clear fact, this has been one of the greatest -- or maybe the greatest public health failure the United States in the last hundred hears since the 1918 pandemic.

COOPER: Dr. Peter Hotez, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

The government's Operation Warp Speed program is moving to come up with 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January. It may have run into a snag, the scientists haven't managed to recruit enough black or Latino study subjects for the vaccine clinical trials, which could cause a delay in the vaccine.

Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us, has exclusive data on how their recruiting is going. But first, a new study analyzed coronavirus hospitalizations by race, Elizabeth. What did it find?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, this is a new study just out from the University of Minnesota. And you would think that coronavirus cases would be equivalent when you look at different groups, different ethnic groups. You would see it proportional to the population in general, but that is not the case.

So let's take a look for example at the state of Ohio. In Ohio, blacks represent about 13 percent of the population, but nearly 32 percent of those who have been hospitalized with COVID-19. That speaks volumes right there about the disproportionality of this, how minority groups are being affected so much more than white people.

COOPER: And why have -- in terms of getting participants for clinical trials, why have they had such a tough time recruiting black and Latino people?

COHEN: Yes, let's take a look at these numbers because they are disproportional, just like the numbers I showed you. So there's a website where you can register to be in a clinical trial. Three hundred and fifty thousand Americans have already done that. Only 10 percent of them are black or Latino, but over -- more than half the cases in the country have been black or Latino. So you can see that those two numbers are not in line.

And, Anderson, it is so crucial that there be minorities in this trial. If there aren't, the board of experts that oversees it could say, whoa, guys, hold on. We need to take more time to recruit more minorities, which of course would sort of slow down the entire vaccine effort. But you have to do that so that it will be scientifically valid.

And, Anderson, you asked why there's this trouble recruiting? I spoke with African-American leaders about this and they said, look there's a legacy in the United States of white doctors abusing black patients.

[14:10:05]

You just have to look to Tuskegee, an experiment that happened up until the 1970s -- quite recently -- where black men were not even told they were being experimented on. And there was penicillin to treat their syphilis -- which is what they were studying -- but it wasn't offered to them.

And there are many more examples of this kind of thing, and that has led to this legacy of black people -- understandably -- not trusting medical experimentation. When there's this legacy, they're not going to be so willing to just roll up their sleeve and say, sure, give me an experimental vaccine.

COOPER: So are the people running the studies try to reach out to communities?

COHEN: You know, they are. And so they've put in calls to black church groups and other kind of black community organizations. But, Anderson, my team and I looked long and hard for any kind of material that was directed at black Americans or Hispanic Americans specifically to them to talk about their particular concerns, and it doesn't exist.

And that's because even months into this, the U.S. government has not come up with those kinds of materials. It's very basic. You need to write materials directed to the population you're talking to. They're working on it but they haven't done it yet.

COOPER: Yes. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks. COOPER: The super-rich, still having private parties in places like

the Hamptons, and they're getting access to rapid tests. I'll speak live with a vendor providing them.

Plus, as Democrats launch an emergency effort over the president's Postal Service move, some voters say they're getting absentee ballot requests with the president's face on them.

And the president claims he knows nothing about new intelligence showing that Iran has also offered bounties on the heads of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:02]

COOPER: This just in to CNN, postmaster general Louis DeJoy has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee. That's expected to happen a week from today.

Lawmakers want to ask DeJoy about the removal of post office boxes and mail sorting machines and elimination of overtime for postal workers. All this has drastically slowed mail in many areas, sparked fears of potential election interference.

Congressmen Ted Lieu and Hakeem Jeffries are urging the FBI director to open a criminal investigation into this. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling back the House early from its summer recess to deal with the crisis.

I want to quickly go to Phil Mattingly, who's on the Hill. So we're learning what Democrats will be voting on this weekend, Phil?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, that's exactly right. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Anderson, earlier today in a private conference call with her caucus, making clear that they will vote on a bill that actually kind of serves two purposes.

The first would be to block any operational changes to the U.S. Postal Service, the types of changes you were just describing that Louis DeJoy, the U.S. postmaster general, has helped implement over the course of the last several weeks. And -- through the lens of cost- cutting measures. It would block those starting from the beginning of this year through the end of the year or the end of the pandemic.

It would also include $25 billion to help prop up the U.S. Postal Service, which obviously has been having very significant financial difficulties. Now, this $25 billion number was something that the Democrats had proposed earlier on in negotiations in a broader coronavirus relief package. They had negotiated with the Trump administration on this, negotiating that down to about $10 billion during those talks that have since stalled about the broader package.

But what you're seeing right now is really a dual-pronged approach from Democrats. You have the legislative obviously calling members back from recess to a very rare Saturday session to vote on legislation.

And then you -- then you also have the investigative. You noted Louis DeJoy, voluntarily agreeing to come up and testify, also Robert Duncan, another member of the board of the U.S. Postal Service will testify as well on Monday. They are expected to turn over documents as well.

And I think what you're seeing here, Anderson, is not just a dual- pronged approach, but also an understanding on the Democratic side that this is an issue that resonates with the voters, this is an issue that they've heard a ton about from their constituents over the course of the last several weeks, and this is an issue that they want to make front and center.

They want to do something to try and stop what has been put into place and slowed the delivery down over the course of the last several weeks and months. And they especially want to try and get out in front of anything that may harm or do damage to the expectations of tens of millions of mail-in votes.

I would note as well, Republicans have said that this is a manufactured crisis from Democrats. But the issue here is not just that these have been cost-cutting measures put in place over the course of the last several postmasters general, but also the issue is the president's own words, and I think that's what Democrats have seized on, that's what concerns Democrats the most and that's why you're seeing not just an investigative push, not just hearings but also legislation as well -- Anderson.

COOPER: Yes. Phil Mattingly. Phil, thanks very much.

While all of this is happening, some voters in North Carolina received a surprise in the mail. They received absentee ballot request forms with President Trump's face on them. Keeping in mind President Trump has been railing against mail-in voting, insisting without any proof that it's fraudulent.

My next guest, Chandler Carranza, lives in North Carolina, got one of those ballot requests. He tweeted the picture of it, adding, "Got my mail-in absentee ballot request form from @realDonaldTrump that will allow me to mail in my vote if I need to. But I can't remember if this is a good thing or bad thing. Mail-in is bad but absentee is good?"

Chandler Carranza joins me now. Thanks so much for being with us. So how do you get this absentee ballot request form -- or how did you feel when you actually got it?

CHANDLER CARRANZA, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: Well, it was obviously a mass mailing that came from the North Carolina GOP. I honestly don't know if it's because I'm a registered Republican, or if it went out to Democrats as well. So again, you'd have to ask them those questions.

But I just kind of had to laugh at it, really, to be honest, because I think it's just lost on a lot of people on how the process is done, and that's why I was tweeting about it, was to show, hey, here's a request form, this isn't a ballot. But at the same time, we have to mail in our absentee ballot here in North Carolina. And just the irony just seemed very thick to me.

[14:10:04]

COOPER: So did you request the absentee ballot form?

CARRANZA: No, I did not. But I can say that it might be a godsend only because in 2016, I was called out for work and wasn't able to vote because I missed deadlines for the absentee ballot process in Pennsylvania. So I'm actually now just moved into North Carolina about a year and a half ago, and now know exactly how it goes about.

It seems that this mail-in request form is exactly the same as the one available online. I just -- and the address to send it back to is correctly (ph). So everything seems OK with it, but --

COOPER: Right. But it's --

CARRANZA: -- seeing the tweet has made me see a lot of people just aren't educated on what the process is or even what this mailer truly does say.

COOPER: Well, it's interesting because the president has been complaining about the idea of states sending unrequested, you know, ballots to voters, universal vote by mail. But it's interesting that I guess the Republican Party where you're at is actually doing that, they are sending out request forms so -- to encourage people to request absentee ballots.

CARRANZA: Yes. So it appears to just be from the North Carolina Republican Party, not from the state itself.

COOPER: Right.

CARRANZA: So that is a very fine point made on it. I'm not a legal scholar, I'm not a lawyer, I don't even try to be. So you know, some people have brought up on my feed whether this is legal or not legal, I will let them determine that.

But you know, again, be educated, go out, make sure you figure out what's right. And if anything comes from the mailer regardless of how you vote, hopefully just the American public gets to know a little bit more about what's going on and make sure that their voice is heard.

COOPER: Chandler Carranza, appreciate talking to you. Thank you.

CARRANZA: Thank you, Anderson, have a good day.

COOPER: All right, you too. Ahead, the wealthy can get access to rapid tests for party guests while others are still waiting in long lines to be swabbed.

Plus, what Michelle Obama is expected to say tonight in a very different atmosphere than her last convention speech four years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:52]

COOPER: Maybe the latest sign of the bizarre times we're living in -- forget the bouncer, now you might need a doctor to enter some of the posh parties in the Hamptons. Hosts are apparently paying big bucks to hire medical personnel to administer rapid coronavirus tests on their guests. Instead of waiting two weeks for the results, guests can get them on the spot.

Dr. Asma Rashid runs a members-only medical concierge service in the Hamptons, she joins me now. Thanks so much for being with us. So how does this service work?

ASMA RASHID, RUNS COVID-19 TESTING CONCIERGE SERVICE: Well, when they're deciding to have an event, they reach out to us, they let us know how many guests will be arriving and if the guests have already flown in from different places and they're residing here. And based on the type of tests that they have chosen for their event, we will either meet the guest a couple days prior to the test, or at the event. And then we'll proceed.

The guests also sign a consent to release their results, and then the host then will determine if they're allowed in the party or not.

COOPER: And are rapid tests -- I mean, they're not always reliable, right?

RASHID: Correct. So I always have a disclaimer that no one test is 100 percent. The pandemic precautions should still be exercised. But I do agree that as a society and as citizens, if we have taken part in testing our guests it's still a good thing versus a taboo.

COOPER: And how much does this cost?

RASHID: It can vary based on the amount of guests but anywhere from $200 to $500 per each guest.

COOPER: For each guest to get -- and how quickly do you get the results?

RASHID: Based on the method, it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 15 minutes and some are 30-minute tests.

COOPER: And just because a test is negative, I mean, it doesn't mean the risk has disappeared. I mean there's false positives and false negatives.

RASHID: Correct, right, correct, Anderson. I think it's more so of a -- instead of having hors d'oeuvres in the party now, the theme is let's do rapid testing, really.

COOPER: Wow.

(LAUGHTER)

Have you had many positive results? RASHID: Luckily in the Hamptons, we are not seeing a lot of positive

results. There are not many cases that are known currently. But any time you have an event -- not an event that's a private 10, 15 people even, but a concert, let's say, or a protest or a gathering for something big, then we do see a little spike in our cases being positive. But currently we've been doing very good and there has been no local hospitalization of positive cases for a few weeks.

COOPER: I'm sure you've had, you know, people express anger or kind of disgust at this. I mean, are there ethical concerns? I mean, most Americans, you know, are waiting days to weeks for a test or for results.

RASHID: Yes, I think that's definitely a question at a government level as to why it is not mass produced. But even for myself -- and we have a concierge team in Palm Beach, and we're able to pull some strings. But if the manufacturer says that we do not have the tests for another one week or two weeks, then we can't do anything about it.

COOPER: And how worried are you that, you know, these parties -- the parties themselves -- may bring up the case count in New York?

[14:30:07]