Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Los Angeles Shuts Off Power at Mansion that Hosted Big Parties; Reports Observe Crowds: Most Don't Follow Makes Rules; Russian Opposition Leader Alexey Navalny Hospitalized after Suspected Poisoning; GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy Tests Positive for Virus; Postmaster General to Appear Before Senate Republicans on Monday; Utah Students, Teachers Who Refuse Masks May Be Charged. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 20, 2020 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The city says this is the first such drastic actions, cutting utilities to a property in order to stop the spread of the virus -- Anderson?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Kyung Lah. Kyung, thanks very much.

To get a better idea of how southern Californians feel about wearing masks, the "Los Angeles Times" conducted a study, unscientific, in real time to see how many people really wear makes out in public and wear them properly.

They picked three cities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Reports simply sat and watched passersby.

Here's a quick snapshot of what they found. Overall, in the areas they surveyed, which were outdoors, only 42 percent wore makes correctly. Another 10 percent wore them wrong and 47 percent didn't bother at all.

When it came to gender, more women put on face coverings and wore them correctly than men.

Casey Miller is a data and graphics journalist for the "New York Times" who helped conduct the survey.

The project, as we said, if not scientific. Just a real-time observation of people's behaviors, despite what they may tell you. It seems to support actions may speak louder than words.

I'm wondering, what made you decide to do this experiment?

CASEY MILLER, DATA AND GRAPHICS JOURNALIST, "NEW YORK TIMES": Yes, sure. So, I go on daily walks. I go running. I wear a mask all the time when I walk outside.

It's astounding to me the number of people I see in my neighborhood and other neighborhoods no wearing them or not wearing them incorrectly, below the nose.

And we have a mandate from Governor Newsom that everyone in California is supposed to be wearing a mask.

A lot of people say they do. A lot of studies have been done, done polls where people say, oh, yes, I wear a mask all or most of the time when I go outside. But it's not what we're seeing when we go out.

COOPER: Southern California is obviously a huge region. How did you pick these particular areas?

MILLER: So, we wanted to pick areas that were -- we knew would be well traffic. And we wanted to pick areas that weren't all the same.

I know some are more beach community areas but they're very different. Venice and Huntington Beach.

Venice, we knew that area has also a well-trafficked thoroughfare.

And Long Beach with a park. We picked that one specifically because that general area has seen a large resurgence in cases. It's really a hot spot for COVID cases. And we wanted to see if there was something different going on there in behavior.

And then the Huntington Beach area, that's been a battleground for people protesting the mask orders and part of the reason, no following the state mandate at all.

And so, we kind of wanted to see is the mask behavior really that much lower there, which --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: And -- yes, it really did turn out to be that way in Huntington Beach.

MILLER: Yes.

COOPER: I'm wondering what stood out to you the most the differences between genders.

MILLER: I anecdotally, walking around my neighborhood, what I've been seeing. But I didn't know if that would stand up in every location.

What really struck me was not only is it true for our aggregate, but it was true in every single location that we went to.

Even in Long Beach, 20 percent more women were wearing masks than men. I was pretty shocked by that to be honest.

COOPER: I wonder if compliance rates are different indoors. I guess there's arguments you could say, well, it would be higher indoors since people are closer together. But then again, maybe people feel safer indoors, I don't know.

MILLER: I would hope. The main reason we didn't track folks inside was for our own safety. When we conducted the study, predominantly people stayed in our cars and we watched from where we were parked because we wanted to make sure everyone on our team stayed safe. But I would imagine that it's like a little bit higher, especially

with so many stores requiring masks to be worn.

COOPER: Yes.

Casey Miller, appreciate it. Thank you. It's fascinating to see that. Stay safe.

MILLER: Thank you.

Fierce Putin critic in Russia is reportedly unconscious after a suspected pointing. We'll take you like to Moscow next.

Plus, just in, a Republican Senator has tested for the coronavirus. That story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:38:08]

COOPER: Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, is unconscious, on a ventilator in the hospital after an alleged poisoning.

Navalny was returning to Moscow from Siberia. He's seen here at an airport cafe drinking tea before boarding the flight. He was on the flight and suddenly became very ill and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

Navalny has been a frequent and outspoken critic pf Russia's President Vladimir Putin. And this isn't the first time the top opposition leader has been the target of a suspected poisoning.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, is live in Moscow.

What's the latest on his condition?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Anderson. Well, Alexey Navalny, who is Russia's most well-known, most prominent, sort of opponent of the Kremlin, is currently unconscious, is in an intensive care ward in an emergency hospital in the city in Siberia.

Where, as you say, his plane made an emergency landing after he suddenly got really ill about two or three hours into a flight from the far east in Russia back to Moscow.

There are absolutely, I think, horrific images taken by a fellow passenger on board the aircraft.

When it was on the tarmac, the medics came on board to evaluate Navalny to an ambulance.

You can hear his creams, his groans of agony. He's clearly in a lot of pain and distress.

The people around him, his supporters, the people he was traveling with, his lawyers -- I mean, listen to that. It gets me every time.

They say this was a clear-cut case of poisoning and they want the police to open an investigation straight away, a criminal investigation to find out who's behind it.

But the doctors at the hospital, they're not saying that yet. They're saying we're not ready to give that diagnoses, yet. We're still running tests. We don't yet know.

[14:40:04]

So, until they tell us definitive what caused this sudden illness in Russia, we're still very much in the dark.

What we do know is Russia has a terrible record, a terrible record of protecting people who are outspoken against the Kremlin. Multiple individuals over the years have been silenced through poisoning, other violence as well.

And obviously, the suspicion tonight is this is yet another example of the thuggish behavior towards outspoken critics of the Kremlin in this country -- Anderson?

COOPER: It's also incredible the video on the plane and the still photo of him drinking tea. I don't know if that is suspected of being what caused this but it's so eerie to see that.

This is not the first-time critics or opponents of the regime have been poisoned or shot. Sometimes it's happened on the birthday of Vladimir Putin. It's really an extraordinary record here.

CHANCE: Yes. You don't have to go back very far to look at some horrific incidents blamed on the Russian government. They deny any connection, of course.

Back in 2018, the Skripals, Sergei and Julia Skripal, in Salisbury, England, were poisoned with Novichok, which is a horrific toxin.

In 2016, Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive isotope in London, polluting lots of people around him in the process.

It's not even the first time Alexey Navalny was attacked. In 2017, he was attacked on two separate occasions with a chemical dye that caused significant damage to one of his eyes and stained his face green.

I spoke to him back then, just after that, and he said, look, if you're going to be outspoken against the Kremlin, this is what you have to accept, the threat of violence. It's a choice. Either you keep silent or you speak.

And what we're seeing tonight, potentially, is the consequence of speaking out again and again against the Kremlin.

COOPER: It's extraordinary.

Matthew Chance, thank you very much. Appreciate it, Matthew. Be careful.

We're just hours away from the final night of the Democratic National Convention and Joe Biden's big moment. He'll take the stage to accept the presidential nomination he first sought more than 30 years ago.

A senior adviser told CNN that Biden will sharply criticize President Trump but hopes to look beyond that and strike a more optimistic tone.

Among the other speakers leading up to the former vice president will be four of his former primary opponents and three of the women who made the short list to be vice president. CNN's special coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern time tonight.

Next, students and staff who refuse to wear masks in Utah schools could face criminal charges.

Plus, Dr. Anthony Fauci undergoing surgery today. We'll tell you how he is doing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:35]

COOPER: Just in, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy has tested positive for the coronavirus. His office putting out a statement saying the Senator will quarantine for 14 days.

Let's go straight to CNN's Phil Mattingly on Capitol Hill.

What more do you know, Phil?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy has tested positive.

How this came to be, at least according to his offices, is he was informed last night that he had been with an individual who tested positive.

He got tested today and got the results back today as well, finding out that he was also positive. He will quarantine for 14 days. And he urged individuals in his statement to strictly follow the CDC guidelines up to this point.

It's one of those things where lawmakers are out of town for the congressional recess, for the summer recess, and to be frank, actually, it gives him more opportunities to come in contact with people.

And in this case, another Senator, Rand Paul, has already tested positive. Several House members have tested positive over the course of the last several months. Now a new Senator, Bill Cassidy has tested positive as well -- Anderson?

COOPER: And tomorrow, we're set to hear from the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy. What do we know about the hearing? MATTINGLY: It's going to be all virtual. This was a surprise hearing.

This was a hearing that came about, in large part, because House Democrats are having their own hearing Monday.

Anderson, I'm told Senate Republicans in the majority in the U.S. Senate decided to hold this hearing -- Senator Ron Johnson is the chairman of the committee -- to try and get in front of the House Democrat's meeting.

And try to give Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general, an opportunity to lay out his side of what's been going on the last several weeks at the U.S. Postal Service on friendlier ground than he will get on Monday where Democrats control the committee.

What you can expert, it will be an all virtual hearing, expect it be fiery. There are many Democrats on the committee who have significant questions about things they've seen, they've heard from their constituents.

Things they've been told about over the last several weeks due to operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service.

Some of the delays they've heard about from their constituents. Some things, I noted, they've seen on social media, is what I hear about a lot.

Keep an eye on Gary Peters. He's the top Democrat on the committee. He's been very focused on this issue over the last several weeks.

But also keep an eye on the Republican chairman, Ron Johnson. He's paid a lot of attention to the U.S. Postal Service issues over the last several months.

This committee focuses on this issue and has over the course of the last several years.

And expect DeJoy to have the first opportunity to speak publicly.

Anderson, we've seen the statement. We know he has met behind closed doors with Democratic leaders.

This will be his first chance to address all the criticisms, the allegations, all the above, whether it's the political meddling or the issues themselves that the post office as the been dealing with, in public, on camera, on live television.

[14:50:08]

COOPER: Phil Mattingly. Phil, appreciate it. Thank you.

Utah students and staff who show up to school without wearing a mask could be criminal charged. The state currently has a mask mandate for all public schools reopening this week for in-person and virtual learning.

District officials are allowed to file a misdemeanor charge against any child, teacher or staff member they believe is violating the order.

It's creating an uproar among some local lawmakers and parents who now plan to protest.

Erin Alberty, a reporter for the "Salt Lake City Tribune."

How does this work?

ERIN ALBERTY, REPORTER, "SALT LAKE CITY TRIBUNE": We have a state-wide mask order for schools. The misdemeanor charge is attached. It's a general public health enforcement charge. If you violate a public health order, that's the charge brought forth.

COOPER: At some point wearing a face shield was OK. That's changed? Yes?

ALBERTY: In some districts, they were interested in using plastic face shields, especially teaching staff. Then the students can see their whole face.

They've made accommodations for that in some cases, like where they're teaching students hearing impaired or teaching phonics, foreign language, things like that.

But students planned to wear them, and some families did get those clear plastic face shields. However, a lot aren't sealed at the bottom and they are not considered as effective at the cloth mask over the mouth and nose.

They were told that they would have to wear the cloth mask in addition to the plastic shield. And that was just a step too far for some parents. They were already unhappy about the mandate mask.

COOPER: They're planning to protest tomorrow?

ALBERTY: Yes. In southern Utah, in St. George, a major city in southern Utah, parents are planning to protest. This is a town where there's a lot of skepticism about the official advice on coronavirus.

So, for a lot of people -- it sounds like a small distinction, the plastic shield versus the cloth mask. But it's more of a last-straw situation for a lot of these families.

COOPER: How did that plan to fight this legally?

ALBERTY: Well, you know, I mean they want to protest it. Initially, their school district agreed to let them keep doing the plastic shields. A lot of these folks can jubilant that their district is going to stand up to state.

But now that it's changed, I'm not sure what their hopes are.

A number of parents have already taken their kids out of school because of the mask order. Not because of fear of contracting coronavirus but because of the mask order.

COOPER: Is there a chance the order would be rescinded or altered?

ALBERTY: There's always a chance. Right now, it's in the hands of the governor. If he's persuaded to do that, the mask orders will be changed or become a local decision. It's hard to say.

I know how officials here, probably everyone, have been pretty cautious. Numbers have been declining in Utah for about a month. People have been very cautious about beginning of fall.

No just because schools are opening, but also because the weather changes. People spend more time inside and coronavirus would be coming up against flu season.

COOPER: Yes.

Erin Alberty, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

ALBERTY: Thank you.

COOPER: One mother in Texas posted a heartbreaking and emotional message begging people to wear a mask weeks before dying from COVID.

Local station, KTSM, reports that Sara Montoya passed away last week spending 44 days in the hospital. Her husband and three daughters want you to hear her final message to the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA MONTOYA, BEGS PEOPLE TO WEAR A MASK WEEKS BEFORE DYING OF COVID: Never in my life did I ever think that I -- would -- be fighting for -- my -- breath. Something that we take for granted every day when we wake up.

Please do not put your families at risk. I did the best that I thought I could. It is not worth it. Put your masks on. Don't go out if you don't have -- to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The fear in her eyes and in her voice is -- it's hard to watch.

Just five days after Montoya posted that message, she was put on a ventilator. Her family never spoke to her again. No underlying conditions, they say.

[14:54:37]

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to "THE LEAD." I'm Jake Tapper.

We begin with the politics lead. Any minute, President Trump will speak in Pennsylvania, attacking opponent Joe Biden on Biden's big day. According to the preview released by the Trump campaign, the president will accuse Biden of selling you out and, quote, "ripping you off."

It's a rather curious-timed charge, given earlier today, one of the men instrumental to President Trump's 2016 election was arrested precisely for ripping off supporters of the president's agenda.

Former Trump campaign CEO and White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon, today busted on a yacht off the coast of Connecticut.

And in yet another note of delicious irony, those doing the arresting were law enforcement officials with the U.S. Postal Service.