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Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) Discusses Trump In Kenosha Despite Officials Asking Him Not To Come; Facebook, Tipped Off By FBI, Finds Russia Campaign Targeting Americans; Russia Makes Multiple Provocative Moves Against U.S.; Trump Pushes Conspiracy Theory Biden Controlled, Thugs On Plane Headed To RNC; Coronavirus Updates From Around The Country; Coronavirus Updates From Around The World. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired September 01, 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]
REP. MARK POCAN (D-WI): But when you make those kinds of goofy comparisons about as something as serious as people being shot, you don't serve Kenosha or any community very well.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: I'm told your family knew Anthony Huber, one of the two protesters killed last week. I think that's important. We're talking about lives here. What can you tell us?
POCAN: This is someone who -- again, my mother's best friend who recently passed away was the grandmother, great aunt I talked to yesterday. She went to the skateboard park where he used to skateboard.
And other skateboarders are trying to show her, to make her feel better, some tricks that Anthony used to be able to do. But they kept falling and not being able to do.
You know, this is a life that people are still trying to take in what happened.
And to have someone come and just make political point after political point is not what this community needs. It's not what this country needs.
Donald Trump wasn't ready to be president when he got elected. He's still not ready to be president.
We need someone who can understand what empathy and communication is. That's what we need in this country, not more of Donald Trump.
KEILAR: Congressman Pocan, thank you for being with us. We really appreciate it.
POCAN: Absolutely. Thank you.
KEILAR: Next, Facebook announcing it has uncovered Russian accounts, once again, targeting Americans after getting a tip from the FBI.
This, as Russia makes several provocative moves out in the open. Are they testing President Trump?
Plus, Zoom sees a huge jump in profits as companies and schools turn to remote work and learning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:36:17]
KEILAR: We have more now on our breaking news. After getting a tip from the FBI, Facebook says it has uncovered a Russian-linked network targeting Americans in the 2020 election with sites and pages posing as left-leaning activists.
Keep in mind, the Trump administration just decided to stop providing in-person briefings on election security as Vladimir Putin increases significant violation of international law.
Friday, Russian jets crossed within 100 feet of a U.S. B-52. A few days before that, a Russian submarine surfaced off the Alaska coast. And two days earlier, Russian armored vehicle sideswiped a U.S. vehicle in Syria, injuring several American troops.
John Dean is a former Nixon White House counsel and CNN contributor with us and co-author of the new book "Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers."
John, thank you for being with us.
Thank you.
So what do you make of these Russian provocations? What do you think?
JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It would be kind of easy to explain in a way when you read the media accounts of them, that they could have been accidental.
But on the other hand, they seem -- the pattern seems to suggest that Russia is testing.
And I think Trump has passed every test that Russia has ever offered, whether it be Syria, Belarus, putting bounties on heads of American soldiers. He just doesn't respond. And Putin has got to be very pleased with that.
KEILAR: And the president, we've been seeing him, right? One of the main pillars of his campaign is running on law and order. And that's happening in the midst of violence and a lot of protesting in the U.S.
Richard Nixon ran on law and order. What do you think about some of the similarities? How does this bode in terms of being potentially successful for President Trump?
DEAN: Brianna, I worked for the last authoritarian president, Richard Nixon. I watched him play it out and try to use law and order. I never saw him try to inflame a demonstration. But I saw him try to take advantage of them. That's one of the reasons I wrote the book I did, because Trump's followers are a little different than most presidents have had.
He has managed to assemble a group of authoritarian followers that science has actually been looking at for about four decades. And there's fascinating material about these people and what they respond to.
One of the things they respond to is fear and the other is loathing. And we're getting a lot of that.
That's Hunter Thompson's old motto about what was going on with Nixon. Well, it also applies to Trump.
KEILAR: The idea of fear and loathing, it's very interesting that you take a look at that.
And you're also aware that the president loves his conspiracy theories. And this plays into that idea of fear and playing into the fear that Americans have.
He's also pushing a new conspiracy theory that Joe Biden is controlled by people in the dark shadows. And that there are thugs spotted on a plane, he said, headed to Washington, headed to the RNC. He wouldn't say where they were coming from.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
[14:40:04]
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX HOST, "INGRAHAM REPORT": Who do you think is pulling Biden's strings? Is it former Obama people?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People you never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows. People that --
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory, dark shadows. What is that?
TRUMP: No. It's people you never heard of. People that are on streets, people that are controlling the streets.
We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend. And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this. And they're on a plane.
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: Where is this?
TRUMP: I'll tell you some time. It's under investigation right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: John, having written a book on authoritarianism, how do you see what he's saying there fitting into this as a tactic?
DEAN: Well, as authoritarians go, he's one of the least powerful and intellectually capable, I think, history has ever recorded.
He has gotten that power a lot by fluke, as we explain in the book, but also he has really slipped off the deep end on some of this.
You know, if Trump actually didn't believe what he was saying, I would be more comfortable. I think he actually believes these wacko theories he's coming up with, and that's actually very disturbing.
KEILAR: Indeed.
John Dean, thank you so much. Looking forward to your book.
DEAN: Thank you.
KEILAR: The former CEO of Google is blasting the U.S. response to coronavirus.
Plus, a top airline executive makes a troubling prediction about the consequences of the pandemic. We have COVID headlines from around the country next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:46]
KEILAR: A huge break for California renters and property owners suffering financially because of the pandemic. The governor has signed a bill protecting them from eviction or foreclosure.
Current protections were set to expire tonight. And the bill states that no tenant can be evicted before February 1st of next year, but they must pay at least 25 percent of the rent due.
Here are some other coronavirus headlines that CNN correspondents are following.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Christine Romans in New York. A long-time tech titan says a lack of technology hampered the U.S. coronavirus response.
In his new podcast, Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, said the federal government was confused and caught flatfooted because the country lacked integrated data systems. He adds, "People have died unnecessarily because government was slow
to react to common and simple things, like mask wearing and social distancing."
Schmidt also warned rotating pandemics could continue until the summer of 2021 if Americans aren't behaving, quote, in a sane way by wearing masks and avoiding crowds.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik in New York. Zoom just wrapped up a blockbuster quarter as its profits skyrocketed 3,300 percent. A net profit of more than $185 million.
The pandemic has made video conferencing a staple for companies, as more people work from home.
Zoom reported that by the end of July, the number of corporate customers jumped nearly 460 percent from a year ago to about 370,000 clients with more than 10 employees.
But the exploding popularity has caused some strains to the platform. Last month, Zoom experienced outages in some parts of the world.
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I'm Chloe Melas in New York. "Tenet" will open across the United States Thursday, the first major film to debut since coronavirus caused movie theaters to shut down across the country.
The question remains: Will moviegoers feel comfortable to go back during the pandemic?
So far, the film has defied expectations as it opened in countries around the world last weekend, making over $50 million at the international box office.
For now, those in states like New York and California will have to wait as indoor theaters remain closed.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I'm Pete Muntean in Washington. The new prediction from the chairman of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, spoke exclusively to CNN.
He says the industry faces a dire reality and fears more airlines could fold because of the pandemic.
Passenger levels, the amount of people passing through security at America's airports is less than 30 percent of what it was a year ago. Munoz says the key to getting them back is a vaccine.
Airlines are set to furlough tens of thousands of workers in only a month.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Thank you to all of my colleagues.
Russia claims it has the first vaccine for COVID, but many teachers there don't want to be the first to take it.
[14:49:00]
Plus, schools opening now in Wuhan, China, where this pandemic all began. And masks are not required.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: The pandemic has taken a big bite out of Spain's tourism. Two agencies report the number of travelers visiting Spain dropped 75 percent in July and spending among those who did visit was also down.
Meantime, in Hong Kong, the government has opened up a massive testing center. Anyone who wants a test could get one free of charge. Local reporters say that nearly 600,000 people have registered.
Here are other headlines around the globe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow. And it is the first day of school here. The first day since March that Russian classrooms have reopened amid the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Teachers are meant to be among the first to benefit from Russia's new coronavirus vaccine. But what we're learning is that few, if any, have so far taken up the offer to be vaccinated.
One Russian teachers union started an online petition calling on members to reject it outright on safety grounds.
Well, the vaccine was fast-tracked to get it to front line workers as soon as possible.
But unfinished human trials and a lack of published clinical data means many teachers see it as a risk their unwilling to take.
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Culver in Beijing, where, across the country here, most students returned to the classroom on Tuesday for what is the official start of school here in China.
In most major cities, students and staff will wear masks and stagger schedules so as to allow for social distancing.
[14:55:06]
But, surprisingly, in Wuhan, more than seven months since the outbreak, the measures are the most relaxed in all of China.
Students are encouraged to bring a mask but they don't have to wear it, a sign that city leader feel confident in testing and contact tracing.
On social media, some parents hoping this does not lead to a resurgence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Right now, President Trump is on the ground in Wisconsin where a police shooting of an unarmed black man sparked days of protests. The president making more divisive comments before he left. We'll take you there live to Wisconsin.
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