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U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 187,000 As Key Model Projects More Than 410,000 U.S. Deaths By January 1; Fears Of COVID-19 Cases Spiking Due To Holiday Weekend Gatherings; U.S. Surgeon General To States: Be Ready For Vaccine By November Just In Case; U.S. Unemployment Rate Falls To 8.4 Percent Even As Hiring Slows; Families Struggle With Eviction Realities; Biden: My Son "Wasn't A Sucker" For Volunteering For Military Service. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired September 05, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: And a new warning from health officials as many Americans gather with family and friends. A key model now predicts that the country could surpass more than 410,000 coronavirus deaths by the end of this year. That means between now and January 1, an additional 224,000 Americans could die from COVID-19 though that figure has been disputed by many doctors we should tell you.

Well, just this Friday alone, the U.S. added more than 50,000 new cases and now there are new fears of a holiday surge. The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci is encouraging Americans to stay vigilant this weekend and to keep gatherings small.

This as a U.S. Surgeon General floats the date November 1 for when state should be ready for a potential vaccine, a goal most public health experts say though possible isn't likely. For more on case trends across the country, let's go to CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brace yourself for more super spreader events. That's the warning from health officials who fear with millions traveling over the Labor Day holiday, the pandemic could spike, just as we enter for when the flu and other illnesses may come into play.

JENNIFER NUZZO, JOHN HOPKINS CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY: We use Labor Day as a way to take the day off but unfortunately the virus doesn't.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NIAID: We don't want to go into that with another surge that we have to turn around again so it really is an important weekend.

FOREMAN: Infection shot up in some places after Memorial Day on July 4 too, despite warnings against big social gatherings. Like that motorcycle rally in South Dakota which produced dozens of cases. Private parties in many places and numerous family events like the wedding reception earlier this year that left a New Jersey woman and three of her children dead for all that President Trump keeps mocking Joe Biden for wearing a mask.

DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him.

FOREMAN: Still health experts say imagine an outdoor Barbecue. The medical journal BMJ created this chart showing if you attend an event like that for a short time with a mask, your risk could be relatively low, depending on whether people are silent talking or shouting and singing.

Stay longer, it gets worse. Take off your mask a while, worse still. And without a mask for a long time, the risk explodes especially if the party moves indoors. So images like these are raising alarm bells. Hundreds of students at Iowa state seemingly ignoring safety precautions.

Are you guys concerned about coronavirus at all or no?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I personally think it's a hoax.

FOREMAN: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it's a hoax but I think if I were to get it, I'd survive.

FOREMAN: That is the attitude driving yet another warning this holiday from health experts, watching college students on campuses everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Putting them on airplanes and sending them home to their parents doesn't make sense.

FOREMAN: If people listen, the reward could be huge. A new projection from the University of Washington says with universal masking, the U.S. could see 300,000 deaths by the end of the year but if restrictions are eased too soon, that number could be doubled by the New Year's holiday. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And our thanks to Tom. Amid this pandemic, California is bracing for an intense heat wave that could put social distancing measures to the test. California's Governor declared a state of emergency ahead of the heat as people look to the state's beaches for relief.

CNN's Paul Vercammen is in Manhattan Beach. Paul, what are you seeing today so far?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Bianna, it's only a little after 9:00 in the morning and already people are flocking to the beaches to beat the heat among some of these projected high temperatures, 117 degrees in the East San Fernando Valley, 110 for downtown Los Angeles and as you pointed out, there's concerned that you could have a super spreader events.

So county health officials getting out in front, warning people to continue to wear their mask, be safe and if you don't wear your mask by the way here in Manhattan Beach, a first time fine is $100 then $200 - $300 and $50 so the entire region is under this excessive heat warning and there's also extremely high fire danger.

And just in time the Super Scooper planes from Quebec, Canada they can pick up 1600 gallons of water and then drop them on an active fire are here now and for those pilots when they get up above and make that direct hit, it can be exhilarating.

PIERRE DEHAY, SUPER SCOOPER CO-PILOT: Because of the climate right now and because of the heat and the high potentiality of fire, we will be leaving with water so we can go directly to the fire and do what we call an initial attack.

VERCAMMEN: And so what Pierre Dehay was alluding to is quite often they'll go out, they'll fly away from an area and then pick up the water but now they're being pre-loaded and they as they say, will jump on any fire immediately, not even hesitating to deploy those planes because of this excessive heat and high fire danger that is throughout southern California. Reporting from Manhattan Beach I'm Paul Vercammen. Back to you now, Bianna.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:05:00]

GOLODRYGA: Paul, these first responders have been working around the clock all summer. Thank you so much for that report and joining me now is emergency physician Dr. Annalee Baker. Doctor, thanks so much for joining us. First, I want to know how concerned are you that this Labor Day weekend could cause another surge in cases.

We've been asking this question all summer ahead of a major holiday.

DR. ANNALEE BAKER, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN: We are absolutely concerned and thank you for having me Bianna. We saw a surge after Memorial Day. We saw a surge after July 4 so if that's any indication, we're going to see something similar with Labor today and unfortunately, we're dealing with a different set of circumstances that makes it even more concerning to us, which is that you know, we have seasonality, we have the fact that it's colder weather.

We know that the virus increases transmission and we also know that people are experiencing major quarantine fatigue, starting to loosen up on restrictions. Here in Florida for example, only two counties now are still in Phase 1.

Most of the state has largely reopened so we are very concerned about what happens on Labor Day weekend and it is absolutely going to have a big effect, what the citizens of our county and of the United States tend to do over that weekend.

GOLODRYGA: Of course and obviously, this comes on the heels of concerns of the flu season, which is just around the corner as well. We've spent so much time focusing on a potential coronavirus vaccine; well we know people can get flu shots now as well.

How crucial is it in your view that people do follow up on their flu shots this year of all years?

BAKER: Absolutely. I'm glad you brought that up. It is something that we have all been concerned about, those of us in the medical community. You know every year this is a concern. It's a huge effort to try to convince people to get their flu shot, which is absolutely safe and effective, something that saves lives every year.

But this year it's particularly important. You know we are expecting to see this sort of double surge if you will, of both the coronavirus and the influenza virus which can present very similarly, which poses huge difficulty treating these patients in the hospitals so the more people that get their flu shot, the fewer flu cases we will see and that will make things infinitely easier to control.

I know that we are also all very preoccupied talking about the coronavirus vaccine but we have a flu vaccine which is well established and which everybody who is able to take should be considering going to get as soon as possible.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah my husband and I got our flu shots last week so we were in the good graces of our doctor when we told him that and I help others get their flu shots as well. Let's talk about the race for a COVID vaccine though it.

Here's what Dr. Fauci had to say when he was asked whether this administration is trying to rush one before the proper trials are conducted. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: I have faith in the system that the FDA will do what they promise and they promise that they will make decisions on a regulatory basis, purely on the basis of the science and the evidence and I'm counting on them to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: How important is an independent review of a vaccine, whenever it does become available and is that standard for any new vaccine or is it needed even more so due to how fast this one really does seem to be going along?

BAKER: Well, that's a great question. I think it's absolutely important that these vaccines and by the way, there are many vaccines in development. You know I think as of now, there's about 24 vaccines in phase 1, there's something like 14 in phase 2, nine in phase 3 and we don't have any that are fully you know approved as of yet. And we all appreciate the federal government has invested these huge

amounts of resources in Operation Warp Speed, getting this out quickly but the trade off and our biggest concern is safety and as you said, it is going to be extremely important side even if this vaccine is released early before phase 3 trials are complete, that we continue those trials.

So in other words even if people begin inoculating the most high risk people for example, whether that's health care workers or through the Department of Defense or whatever it may be, that during that time we keep going with these rigorous Phase 3 trials because we do know from many, many years of vaccine research that it takes a Phase 3 trial with something around the order of 30,000 participants before we can really truly say that the vaccine is efficacious and also to pick up on that signal of these rare side effects and complications.

We do believe that the vaccine that's in the pipeline is going to be safe so I don't want people to be afraid when that vaccine does finally come out and we certainly appreciate people like Dr. Fauci who are maintaining a voice of reason and integrity in this process so that the American people can be sure that when the vaccine is released and available to all of us, that it's something that we all feel comfortable and safe taking.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it is reassuring to see Dr. Fauci on our airwaves again. Dr. Annalee Baker, reassuring to hear from you as well. Thanks so much. Have a great weekend.

BAKER: Thank you. You as well

[12:10:00]

GOLODRYGA: Protesters and police clash in Rochester, New York. In this video you see police firing pepper spray into the crowd after demonstrators lit fires and threw rocks. Plus President Trump says he's banning what he calls racial propaganda training in the federal government. More on both of those stories coming up next. You're in the CNN newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Protests turned violent in upstate New York as thousands of demonstrators demand justice for the death of Daniel Prude.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Police and clashers protesting in Rochester. They clashed their protests while officers firing pepper balls at a crowd after demonstrators lit fires and threw rocks.

At least three officers were injured in the melee. Police say they arrested 11 people in all with charges ranging from unlawful assembly to riding and disorderly conduct. Demonstrators have been protesting now for three straight nights following the release of body cam video showing Rochester police pinning down Daniel Prude.

[12:15:00]

A black man who was having a mental episode and naked when he was detained, back in March. Prude stopped breathing and he later died. Medical examiners have ruled his death, a homicide. And even more arrests in Portland, Oregon. Police there declaring an unlawful assembly as protesters gathered in one section of the city.

Video shows officers moving in to disperse the crowd around midnight. Tonight the city marks its 100th straight day of protest. Demonstrators have been gathering in Portland nightly following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

And after a 4 month delay due to COVID-19, the Kentucky Derby is set to get under way in Louisville today. Marchers are vowing to protest at Churchill Downs and in the city as they demand justice for Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old African-American woman who was shot by Louisville police officers during a raid, back in March.

For more on this, let's go to Jason Carroll who is in Louisville. Jason, what kind of scene are you expecting at the Kentucky Derby in Louisville today?

JASON CAROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of things. The plan is for several hundred people to gather here at this park, that's going to started about 4:30, maybe a little bit closer to 5:00 and then at that point, all the folks who are gathering here in support of Breonna Taylor are expected to march about a mile away to Churchill Downs where they plan to hold a rally, a demonstration just as race time is expected to kick off at about 7:00, tonight.

Now also out here in Louisville, we've seen a number of counter protesters Bianna, as well. Earlier this morning, members of the White militia group gathered at another park across town. They say they are out here to support police and protect the government buildings.

Those members of the White militia are armed, we've also seen members of black militia, armed members out here in Louisville as well. Now separate from that you've got those who support Breonna Taylor who are trying to put pressure on the Attorney General, trying to get more answers about the investigation into her death.

This morning the Attorney General tweeted about the investigation saying the following, saying, today, while we honor a Kentucky tradition with the running of the Derby, we remain cognizant of the community's desire for answers in the investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor. We continue to move forward with our investigation, reviewing each fact to reach the truth.

Again the demonstration out here expected to get under way just about around 4:30 or 5:00. One of the organizers telling me last night to expect this to be non-violent but also to expect acts of civil disobedience, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: All right, Jason Carroll, thank you so much. He'll be covering this for us today. Amid all of this unrest, the Trump administration is now barring agencies from engaging in training sessions on race relations. The president tweeting about this order this morning. A memo released by the White House calls the training sessions divisive on American propaganda.

CNN's Kevin Liptack is looking into this and Kevin, what's striking about this is there don't seem to be very many details in this.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: No, the memo really only sites press reports without actually specifying what the president is trying to go after here and the memo really kind of went under the radar when it was released yesterday afternoon and what it does is basically codifies the president's largely dismissive views of systemic racism into federal policy.

Now in the memo the president's Budget Chief is advising federal agencies to drastically change their structural racism training programs. In the memo the Budget Chief writes, "It has come to the president's attention that Executive Branch agencies have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to date, training government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda and it goes on to say the president has directed me to ensure that federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divest of un-American propaganda training sessions."

Now the president has very, very loudly gone against what he calls cancel culture and when these issues of systemic racism popped up over the summer, the president has focused more on the violence. He, as a racial reckoning grips the country, he's focused more on the law and order issues and trying to quell protests, rather than actually addressing the issues that precipitated the protests in the first place.

Last week at his Republican National Convention, the number of people who came out to say the president wasn't racist was notable but it was also notable to hear people say no, the country is not racist. The symbols that are in the country that are embraced by people in this country are not racist. Now today the president is trying to amplify this action. He's retweeted people praising him for it and he wrote, this is a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue.

[12:20:00]

Please report any sightings so we can quickly extinguish. Now that's interesting because the memo itself doesn't actually site any sightings of this happening in the federal work force. It sites press reports and if we're looking for where the president may have caught wind of this happening, we can say that this topic has been a focus on Fox news for the last several weeks.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it's really hard to square what's un-American about racial sensitivity training and it seems that White House isn't providing any details on what is either. All right Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

Well, President Trump's new ban on racial sensitivity training may be an attempt to distract from shocking claims regarding his comments about the military. We're talking about this today. There's new fallout from claims that he called troops, losers and suckers.

Next, we'll talk live with Congressmen and military veteran Gil Cisneros. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Today, a source tells CNN, that President Trump has repeatedly questioned why Americans who served in Vietnam, went to war. This comes after the president angrily denied a new report from anonymous sources in the Atlantic that says Trump disparaged at American service members as losers and suckers, during a visit to France in 2018.

The Atlantic article also said the president questioned why anyone would enter military service while standing with his former Chief of Staff John Kelly at Kelly's son's grave in Arlington National Cemetery.

On Friday without saying he believed Kelly was behind the report, Trump lashed out at Kelly, calling the retired 4 star Marine General, unfit for the job as his top aide. Congressman Gil Cisneros is a democratic representative from California.

He's a member of the Third Arms Services Committee and a navy veteran. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us. In any other world, that would have seemed shocking and as shocking as it is, it seems to be just get another headline of this president disparaging people who are heroes in this country.

He did it with John McCain. We have it on tape even though the president's denied it. As a veteran, what is your reaction to these reports?

REP. GIL CISNEROS (D-CA): Well, you know, I was very honored to go to the 75th anniversary D day and being there at Normandy at the great site that so many heroes that fell during that time. One of my former neighbors - neighbors was a World War II veteran who was injured on Omaha beach.

My grandfather served in World War II. I also went to the cemetery that the president refused to go to, right? To honor our patriots who died in the First World War and this story just keeps getting worse. My father is a Vietnam vet. You know Gilbert Cisneros Senior. My uncle, Alex Cisneros, my other uncle Peter Barrera, all served in Vietnam.

Both my uncles, they extended their time in Vietnam and they didn't do it because they were suckers. They did it because (inaudible) they had to serve with their brother in arms and comrades and be there because they were doing it for the greater good of the country and that is something that this president just does not get. GOLODRYGA: Well, we thank you and your family members for their

service. They are true American heroes and patriots. Do you worry though that these reports will impact troop morale as they serve in war zones across the globe? No U.S. president has been perfect but there have been no reports of a sitting U.S. president disparaging their own troops, the way the Atlantic sites the president doing.

CISNEROS: Well, it's unfortunate that they have these reports from the president but I have faith and I have confidence in our troops. You know there's something about when you serve with people, whether it be as myself in the navy on a ship or you serve with people on your platoon, you rally around each other and you lift each other up, you are there for each other and I know our troops are service members, will be out there to lift each other up and they have each other's back.

GOLODRYGA: Again today, in a tweet, the president is claiming that he's done more for the military than any other president with increased budgets, rebuilding the military, raising military pay, fixing a broken VA, a lot about attributed to however to his predecessor but that notwithstanding, do you agree, does this president get credit for some of those claims?

CISNEROS: No, this president has stolen money from our military, stolen money from our military families who are living in horrible conditions in some of the military housing. He's taken money away from our DOD schools and other projects that were supposed to be built so he could take this money away from the Department of Defense and build his vanity wall project on the border.

He has not done the most ever for the military and this is just another pattern. When this president is under attack, he goes and says - he talks about how great he's done and how he's done the most for everybody and it's just a continuing pattern but he - you know I served on the Armed Services Committee and we're still yet to seeing a shipbuilding plan from the Navy from the Department of Defense and if he was really focused on this and really wanted to build up our military, we would have those plans.

[12:30:02]

But you know this is just another continued thing. Just because he says it, doesn't make it true.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. He's the one who said that he inherited a depleted military that had no guns and weapons or anything, which obviously was not true either. But obviously this is playing on a global landscape. The entire world is seeing what's happening and it's coming as Russia has stepped up its aggression around the globe.

The President has dismissed intel reports that Russia offered bounties to target U.S. troops in Afghanistan. He hasn't commented on a Russian armored vehicle that purportedly slammed into a U.S. vehicle in Syria injuring several American troops.

They're becoming much more aggressive in Syria and now he's downplaying Russian threats to the U.S. election. Oh, and the poisoning of Russia's top opposition leader. What do you make of the President's submissiveness towards Russia? And what message do you think that sends Vladimir Putin?

CISNEROS: Well, I think the message it sends to Vladimir Putin is that he has Trump in his pocket and that's just very unfortunate for the United States of America. You know, for them to go and to say that they're going to stop briefing the Congress on the intelligence reports regarding the election is just incredible. And I couldn't believe that when I heard that.

But I understand why he's doing it, because the message that he's putting out there, that Russia isn't involved, that they're not the biggest threat is different than what we're hearing, you know, in those intel reports, and it's just unfortunate that the President is citing -- is cited with Vladimir Putin and Russia so many times has refused to call him out, despite the numerous things that he's done.

And -- patterns, he goes and claims that he has been harder on Russia than anything ever president has ever done. And he does it every time he's backed into a corner and we're seeing it again now with the way he's attacked our veterans.

GOLODRYGA: Well on every issue, but especially this one is so important that we hear from elected officials like yourself and Republicans. This should be a bipartisan issue. That brings people together to speak out against Russian aggression.

Congressman Cisneros. Thank you. And of course we're thinking of those in your state who are now dealing with record heat after the fires. They seem to be relentless this summer, but I know you will persevere. Thank you so much.

CISNEROS: Thank you for that. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the U.S. unemployment rate has dropped below 10 percent for the first time since March, but the economy's still struggling and some big companies are announcing or planning to announce big layoffs. Next I'll talk live with two economists about what's happening now and what might happen in the coming months. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:36:38]

GOLODRYGA: Some signs the U.S. economy is slowly staggering to its feet again. Another 1.4 million jobs were added to the economy in August. And for the first time since March, we're seeing the unemployment rate fall below 10 percent. But the unemployment recovery is continuing to slow. There are still 11.5 million jobs that have yet to come back. And some big companies continue to announce more layoffs in the coming weeks.

I'm going to bring in Betsey Stevenson. She's a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan and a former member of the President's Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama. And Justin Wolfers, he's also a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. This is always one of my favorite segments of the weekend. Welcome, both of you.

Justin, let me start with you. What is your reaction to this jobs report? We should note that with an unemployment rate at 8.4 percent, we are now below the peak of the Great Recession a decade ago.

JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN: Let's be a little bit careful about that Bianna. A lot of what's happened is people have simply given up looking for work. So we initially lost 22 million jobs. We got half of them back, which means we're in an 11 million job hole. Even in the very worst day of the financial crisis, we've only lost 9 million jobs. So in terms of job loss, we're still worse than anything we ever saw in the previous recession.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And then that's an important point to make, and obviously the previous recession didn't have a pandemic that everybody was worried about as well. Betsey --

WOLFERS: And the previous recession was grim.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, yes. Betsey, let me ask you, something your former colleague Jason Furman tweeted. He wrote, an unemployment rate of 8.4 percent is much lower than most anyone would have thought a few months ago. It is still a bad recession, but not a historically unprecedented event or one we need to go back to the Great Depression for comparison.

Yet, here's what another economist said. I am more concerned about where the economy is now than I was in April. This is Martha Gimbel. She's an economist and labor market expert at Schmidt Futures. She went on to say, in April, the economy was fixable. We're just letting the scars build up now. So where do you stand on this because those are -- those seemed to be two very different approaches and reads.

BETSEY STEVENSON, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN: You know, I think Jason Furman is referring to the fact that many people predicted we'd still have 9 to 10 percent unemployment at the end of this year. So to see a number like 8.4 percent, you know, it is better than I think a lot of people expected.

But there are several important caveats there. One, permanent job loss continued to rise, more than a half million people were added to the roles of permanent job losers. Those are people who aren't going to be recalled to their jobs. That's what Martha is concerned about.

And we also saw a massive increase in the number of people who've been unemployed for more than 15 weeks starting to swell the ranks of the long term unemployed. And those long-term unemployed will have a harder time getting jobs back. And that's what Martha Gimbel is referring to when she talks about really the scarring and the kind of permanent damage that we're seeing happen to the economy. The easy part was bringing people back to the jobs they already had. The hard part is getting people new jobs. And we haven't even started to solve the problems on the hard part.

GOLODRYGA: And we didn't bring everybody back to their old jobs either. Justin, the report focus on data that hadn't yet factored in the end of the $600 weekly unemployment benefit enhancement that millions of Americans had received, we know Congress has yet to agree on another stimulus. Will this report encourage Republicans to continue digging in their heels and objecting to more funding?

[12:40:09]

WOLFERS: The difficult thing is there are so many talking points in so many directions. And so I think it's important for your viewers to understand lots of things can be true at the same time. The numbers might have been better than people expected, but they're still really terrible. The labor market is improving, but it's still in a bad place.

We'll even go beyond saying the labor market is improving. We can say it's getting better, but it's getting better at a slower pace. It's a complicated world out there. And I think the simple answer is look around you. The economy is not where people want it to be. It's slowly repairing. And the real question, as Betsey emphasized is how slowly and will it get all the way back. And the longer this drags on, this is the problem, it keeps dragging on, the more scar tissue will build up and so the less likely we'll get to a full recovery anytime soon.

GOLODRYGA: And Betsey, this comes as we're hearing company's largest small announce mass layoffs. What is the economic outlook in your opinion a few months from now? Will we continue to see improvement albeit slow improvement? Or do you expect things to cool off rapidly?

STEVENSON: So I think we have already seen that improvement slow. So as you noted, not everybody who is temporary laid off has been brought back. But I think most of the people who are going to be brought back from those temporary layoffs have been brought back. What that means is the rest of the recovery getting the other half of the way out of the hole is going to be very slow. And it's going to happen along with a bunch of new layoffs.

My concern is look at this jobs report, 240,000 government workers for census. Those are going to go away. We're going to see state and local government layoffs are going to add to the problem. I think it's still possible we see an unemployment rate that's worse in a few months than the one we saw just. you know, this Friday.

GOLODRYGA: Wow. that is ominous. Let's end on a good note, Betsey Stevenson, Justin Wolfers, I constantly get tweets asking me why you sit so close. You are life partners. We should let our viewers know, you have kids together.

WOLFERS: Really close.

GOLODRYGA: So it's not about --

WOLFERS: Sometimes we even kiss without a mask.

GOLODRYGA: -- practicing social distancing. Yes. Well, thank you so much for coming back on. I really appreciate it. We'll see you soon.

WOLFERS: Thank you for clarifying that Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, of course.

STEVENSON: Good to talk with you.

GOLODRYGA: Bye.

Well the Centers for Disease Control says it is moving to temporarily halt evictions for Americans who can't pay their rent because of the effects of the coronavirus. It's unclear how that actually will be done. But the administration says the order will apply to Americans who qualify for payments under the CARES Act, and would have to prove that they cannot pay rent due to COVID-19. Still, there's no question some affected by the pandemic are going through severe, very severe financial hardship, including the people. CNN's Kyung Lah found in Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEP. BENNIE GANT, HARRIS COUNTY CONSTABLES, PRECINCT 1: Hello, Constable. I need you to come to the door.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From one Houston home to the next --

GANT: Hello, Constable.

LAH (voice-over): Deputy Bennie Gant with the Harris County Constable's Office, executes judges' orders to evict.

GANT: Hello, Constable.

ISRAEL RODRIGUEZ, FAMILY EVICTED FROM APARTMENT: We ain't got nowhere to go.

LAH (voice-over): Israel Rodriguez is a tenant at this apartment but he's not alone. Twenty-month-old Israel, his brother, 4-year-old Fabian, and their mother are some of the estimated 40 million Americans facing eviction in the downward spiral of the COVID economy.

RODRIGUEZ: They didn't rush us but they were like get everything you need.

LAH (voice-over): Rodriguez admits he hasn't been paying rent behind thousands of dollars.

RODRIGUEZ: It's my fault on the eviction. It was like going out there in the coronavirus -- when it hit, I lost my job, so it took me like a month to get another job. This is my check, but I ain't making it with $300. It's literally $300.

LAH (voice-over): Their stroller now carries their possessions.

RODRIGUEZ: It's mainly the kids' clothes because me and her just wear the same clothes almost every day. We make sure we've got, you know, toilet paper and a little bit of snacks for the kids.

LAH (on camera): What are you going to do with all of your stuff?

RODRIGUEZ: That's trash. They can throw it in the trash because we don't have a car, we don't have help. We don't have nobody that can come, you know, help us out right now, nobody. We've got ourselves, me and the kids and her. We -- that's it.

LAH (on camera): How does you, as law enforcement, feel about seeing that family have to go?

GANT: Oh, it's a tough situation. I've got six kids, six children. And, you know, when, you know, the kids see the mom and dad in a desperate situation, it's tough.

LAH (voice-over): Deputy Gant, an officer for 35 years, is just starting his day. Eight evictions are on his list.

GANT: A co-defendant is here -- two of them.

LAH (voice-over): At each stop, people behind on rent are ordered to leave, possessions pulled out.

LAH (on camera): Where are you guys going to go now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to a hotel.

LAH (on camera): You can go to a hotel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GANT: Constable.

LAH (voice-over): As Deputy Gant works through his list, we get word that 200 eviction orders have come through the Harris County courts for this week. That's double what they normally saw for an entire month before COVID.

[12:45:07]

LAH (on camera): Two hundred on Monday. What does that --

GANT: Well, that's a lot, yes.

LAH (on camera): What does that say to you?

GANT: Well, what that means is, is that they're ready to start having people removed from properties.

LAH (voice-over): It is a backlog but it's also just one precinct in one of America's hardest-hit cities in evictions. The job takes its toll.

GANT: I don't really want to put her out here but I have to under this judge's order. LAH (voice-over): At this apartment, the tenant is an elderly woman who can no longer afford the rent. The landlord's mover, Francisco Munoz, works, though he doesn't want to.

FRANCISCO MUNOZ, HELPING MOVE EVICTED TENANT: I have a family. I have a sister. I have, you know, my mom, and we never know. Maybe today it's her, tomorrow it's me, you know.

LAH (voice-over): Midway through the eviction, Deputy Gant decides it's too dangerous to evict her in the Houston summer heat.

GANT: I'm not going to put her out here in this heat.

LAH (voice-over): -- and will call Social Services instead.

GANT: You are safe today but tomorrow you're leaving.

LAH (voice-over): A one-day reprieve with an uncertain tomorrow.

GANT: You have a situation where people aren't working, they don't have the money, and they're desperate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: After Kyung Lah have reported this piece called started pouring into the Harris County Constable's Office from people looking to help the tenant seen in the story. The Office has since started a GoFundMe campaign for the tenants who were being evicted and so far it's raised more than $108,000 and counting. The Houston mayor has spoken about it. So, many people coming together to help. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:26]

GOLODRYGA: Presidential Nominee Joe Biden is denouncing comments reportedly made by President Trump. Multiple outlets now reporting that President Trump disparage dead American service members as quote losers and suckers during a visit to France in 2018. President Trump denies ever making the comments.

CNN's Gloria Borger, recently sat down with Joe Biden to talk about his late son, Beau, who is military service makes President Trump's reported comments very personal for him.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi Bianna. While Joe Biden was serving as Vice President, his son Beau was diagnosed noticed with an aggressive brain tumor. The Vice President rearranged his life and Beau worried about him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORGER (voice-over): While the Vice President tried to help his son, the son tried to help his father. TED KAUFMAN, BIDEN FAMILY FRIEND AND LONGTIME POLITICAL ADVISER: I absolutely believe and I believe it to the day I die that the thing that Beau was most afraid of was not dying. What he's most afraid of is the impact that have on his dad that really take his dad out.

BORGER (on camera): Did he tell you that?

KAUFMAN: Oh, yes, oh, yeah, all the time.

BORGER (voice-over): It's something the Vice President wrote about in 2017 in his book, "Promise Me Dad".

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Beau just made me promise. This is just before he died is dad, you got to promise me you're going to be OK. I said, Beau. He said, dad, look at me. Look me in the eye, dad. Give me a word as a Biden, dad. You're going to be OK.

BORGER (voice-over): Are you OK?

BIDEN: I am because it is still emotional. But I knew what he meant. He was worried I'd walk away from everything I've worked in my whole life the things I cared about, he knew I'd take care of the family. He never wanted about that. But he didn't want me walking away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forward, march.

BORGER (voice-over): Are Beau Biden died on May 30th, 2015. He was 46 years old.

BORGER (on camera): Is it true you keep Beau's rosary with you?

BIDEN: I got in my pocket.

BORGER (on camera): All the time?

BIDEN: I keep it all the time. He had it when he passed away. It was more gold. You can see it's worn.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BORGER: Of course, Biden did not end up running in 2016. And he felt his political career was over. But as we all now know, it surely wasn't. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: No matter your politics, you can't help but just think about the pain that Joe Biden and his family went through. Nobody should go through that.

Well, CNN brings you the stories of Joe Biden and Donald Trump in their fight for the White House. See their triumphs, tragedies, and their dramatic journeys to a showdown. Don't miss the back to back documentary events starting Monday at 8:00 p.m. on CNN.

And there's much more ahead on the CNN NEWSROOM. But first, Anderson Cooper introduces us to CNN Heroes fighting coronavirus in Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): These CNN Heroes are hard at work, temporarily transforming a business to provide and push for safety measures in Ethiopia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have produced over 50,000 closed masks to help out the most vulnerable women and children in our community. And I speak out the need to wear mask and social distance.

[12:55:01]

COOPER (voice-over): Bringing medical care and crucial awareness to remote areas of Kenya.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of misinformation that it's a disease that's not going to come all the way to the rural areas. Information sharing is the number one key. We set up all the billboards in the entry ways of Lamu covering the messaging around COVID-19.

COOPER (voice-over): And providing supplies and protective gear to those that need it most in Cameroon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We focus today internally displaced population due to the crisis in Cameroon. We focus to orphanage and I hope this work will reduce the number of people who die due to coronavirus. That's my dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Everyday people just trying to help out. Well visit CNNHeroes.com for more. And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)