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California Braces For Record Heat Wave, Encourages Social Distancing; New Jersey Lifts More COVID-19 Restrictions Ahead Of Labor Day Weekend; Atlanta Businesses Expected To Lose $151 Million Labor Day Weekend; Labor Day Travel Stokes Fear Of Possible COVID-19 Spikes; Protesters And Police Clash In Rochester, New York After Release Of Video Showing Daniel Prude Arrest; Donald Trump Bans Federal Agencies From Conducting Workplace Training Session On Race. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired September 05, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:48]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me on Bianna Golodryga in for Fredricka Whitfield. This is a special Labor Day weekend edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

We would begin this hour with new fears of a holiday coronavirus surge as many Americans gather with family and friends for the Labor Day weekend.

You're looking live at Jacksonville Beach in Florida where many people are socially distanced, that's a good thing. Well, this as a new model predicts that the U.S. will surpass more than 410,000 coronavirus deaths by the end of the year. That means between now and January, an additional 224,000 Americans could die from COVID-19.

On Friday alone, the U.S. added more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases, this as we're seeing flare-ups in at least 15 states.

And while the president and his administration tried to paint a rosy picture that the country is "Rounding the corner on the virus", the nation's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is encouraging Americans to remain vigilant this weekend and to keep gathering small.

Dr. Fauci is also disputing the president's claim that a vaccine could be ready in just a couple of months. This as the U.S. Surgeon General floats the date, November 1st for when States should be ready for a potential vaccine "Just in case".

Our reporters are standing by with updates from around the country. Let's begin with CNN's Paul Vercammen. He is in Manhattan Beach, California where an intense heat wave this weekend could make social distancing quite a challenge. Paul, what are you seeing and how are you feeling out there?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, there is record heat projected for Southern California and that means a lot of people will flock to the open beaches. Now, L.A. County has made some progress on the numbers we have well

less than a thousand hospitalizations, the positivity rate. Our COVID- 19 testing is down to five.

So, what county health officials are saying is, yes, we understand because of this excessive heat warning, you're going to go down to the beach, but please keep in mind that you need to socially distance. So, here in Manhattan Beach, it starts with a fine of $100 if you're not seen wearing your mask.

And then, throughout all of this, we have high fired danger. Imagine this if we get to 117 degrees, let's say Woodland Hills, it's very possible. So, the L.A. County Fire Department is going to respond immediately with those water dropping super scoopers and more the minute they see basically one even tiny fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SKY CORNELL, SPOKESMAN, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Whenever you have conditions that are in the three digits, and they're across so many different areas within our jurisdiction, within L.A. County fire, you know you're always going to be on edge a little bit.

But this is something that we prepare for. This is something that we train for. This is something that we're ready for and we'll handle that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Also, they are not predicting any widespread power outages that's yet but they have issued what they call a flex alert here in Southern California and basically they're saying is, when we get to 3:00 in the afternoon, shut down those appliances, don't start running anything that you don't need to run. Help everybody out by being smart about how you use your electricity today. Back to you now, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Everyone should heed those warnings, especially to help out those first responders who have been working nonstop this summer. Paul Vercammen, thank you.

Well, in New Jersey, movie theaters and indoor dining are reopening as the state lifts more COVID restrictions.

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro is in Hoboken. And Evan, how are people responding to these new re-openings? I haven't been to a movie since -- I don't know, maybe January?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bianna. Listen, it's a very strange experience. The movie theater entrance is right behind me here in Hoboken. And it's a very strange experience.

You can see people in there, they're buying popcorn, they're going to the movies, but the rules in New Jersey are very strict, 25 percent capacity. You have to wear a mask if you're in the theater unless you're like munching on popcorn at that moment. And you have to sit distant from each other unless you're there with people that you bought tickets with.

Now, the deal here inside the theater, they make very clear, they say, if you violate any of those rules, we're going to throw you out. When you walk up to the door, it says if you have any symptoms, any reason why you shouldn't be in this movie theater today? Tell us, we'll give you a refund for your ticket.

[13:05:05]

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: This is all part of what New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says is a very closely monitored situation here in New Jersey where things like indoor dining, and movie theaters are getting a slight reopening with that 25 percent cap. They're going to monitor it and they're going to -- and they're saying if anybody violates the rules, or it doesn't work, they're going to shut things back down.

And I'll tell you why that is, this gives you a little context here. At a press conference yesterday, Friday, Governor Murphy noted it had been six months since this state first saw its first COVID case, it's been a very long journey here in New Jersey and the New York area since that time. And now they've gotten to a place where they say it's safe to go back into theaters, they're going to be very, very careful about how they do it, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, so many people, so many thousands of people had died in the northeast, no one wants to revisit that again. Perhaps, this is a return to some form of normalcy. I'll be at a new normal. Evan McMorris-Santoro, put your mask on after you eat that popcorn. Thank you.

Well, let's get to CNN's Natasha Chen who's in Atlanta, which is estimated to lose over half a billion dollars in revenue from canceled events this year. Natasha, how will businesses survive this massive financial hit?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll be honest, some of them simply will not. We talked to one business yesterday, Atlanta Movie Tours that had to permanently close because of COVID-19.

And this is typically a weekend when they would have been solidly booked, showing people around town the sights of Atlanta where blockbuster films and T.V. shows were shot. And a lot of their audience this weekend would have been the 87,000 estimated people who would have been here at Georgia World Congress Center for Dragon Con, a massive convention for fans of comics, gaming. And instead, that convention is all virtual.

Then, you're talking about two canceled college kickoff games, a football games that would have brought about more than 140,000 people to Mercedes-Benz Stadium according to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

I talked to the President and CEO of Peach Bowl about not having those games being played this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GARRY STOKAN, CEO AND PRESIDENT, PEACH BOWL INC.: It's depressing, because -- you know, that's what we do. We love to host people in Atlanta at big sporting events. We would have had six great universities coming to our town with all their fans, and putting on three games in a week in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. All three of these games would have been sold out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And that is a lot of lost revenue for Atlanta businesses including hotels, restaurants and bars. And it's also lost tax revenue for the city of Atlanta as well.

As you were mentioning, throughout 2020, there have been a large number of major events in Atlanta canceled, 29 major events, an estimated loss of more than $640 million, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: 11-1/2 million jobs in this country have yet to be filled due to this pandemic. Natasha Chen, you're just covering some of them. Thank you so much.

Well, the TSA says it has screened nearly 878,000 people ahead of the holiday weekend. That number is the highest it's been since the pandemic began. So, the agency says it's currently seeing about a third of the traffic it saw last year.

CNN's Pete Muntean teen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The lines here are pretty thin compared to a normal holiday weekend. Air travel, still a fraction of what it was a year ago. But the TSA thinks the number of people passing through security at America's airports will break a new record of the pandemic over the holiday weekend.

The high point on Thursday, was 10 times the low point seen back in April. The TSA thinks 900,000 people will have flown on Friday, but that official number will not be out until Tuesday.

Those who are flying are facing an entirely new experience. Here at security, you're being asked to empty your pockets and put everything into your bag, bypassing those typical trays in order to reduce touch points.

TSA employees are blocked by acrylic screens. The goal there is to protect you, but also workers. About 1,800 of them have now tested positive for coronavirus since the pandemic began.

One other way of keeping up social distance is being tested here for the first time at Reagan National Airport, a new machine will scan your I.D. and also your face to prove that it's really you. You briefly have to drop your mask in order for that to happen. Airlines are mandating masks starting at check in, all the way to your flight.

Delta says it has banned about 270 passengers for refusing to wear one. That average is out to three a day since Delta's policy went into place. Pete Muntean, CNN, Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And our thanks to Pete. In other breaking news overnight in Rochester, New York, pepper spray, teargas, and more than a dozen arrests. 2,000 people turn out to protest a black man's deadly confrontation with police.

[13:10:02]

GOLODRYGA: Also ahead, how can police and the black community mend fences? I'll talk live with the man who joined the NYPD after being beaten by officers as a teenager.

Then later, President Trump bars what he calls propaganda training sessions on race. We'll go live to the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Thousands of demonstrators take to the streets of Rochester, New York demanding justice for Daniel Prude who died in police custody back in March. Police and protesters clashing overnight. 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 rioting 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, a black man who was having a mental health episode and naked when he was detained back in March.

Crude stopped breathing and he later died. Medical Examiners have ruled his death a homicide.

[13:15:12]

GOLODRYGA: Joining me now to discuss is Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and a former NYPD captain, thank you so much for joining us. It's such an important conversation. I'm glad you are giving us your views.

Eric, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has blamed Daniel Prude's death on the actions of the officers who were involved saying that Prude would have been treated differently if he were white. Given what you've seen and read thus far, would you agree with the mayor's assessment?

ERIC ADAMS, FORMER CAPTAIN, NYPD: I think the mayor clearly is a leader in that community. And I thank her for her candid response.

The problem is we need to redefine the ecosystem of public safety and engage in a real conversation of how police will be deployed at various encounters with those what's called emotionally disturbed persons, particularly when they're violence -- violent. And I don't think we are uniform on how we respond based on

communities or areas, and that's what we need to start looking at.

GOLODRYGA: Not to mention that this was at the first few weeks of the pandemic here. And from reading from the accounts of police officers, it seemed that they were quite nervous about catching the pandemic which Daniel Prude was reported to have said that he had COVID.

But we know that he died in police custody after his brother had called 911 to report that he was having mental health episode.

You talk about how officers need to be better equipped to manage these situations and we hear that a lot. What are the tangible things that can be done to better help educate and train police officers for these types of situations?

ADAMS: Well, first, we are addicted to 911. The calls for police services in our country are weak. We really need to wean ourselves off of believing that every encounter no matter how minor, or no matter what the circumstances may be, that we must immediately call the police. It is the coordination of all about agencies that are involved when you deploy a police officer to a person who is emotionally disturbed.

Automatically, we should be deploying a mental health professionals who can get there, assess the situation, use different molds of coordinating with all of our agencies, we don't do that. We have seen officers that are equipped to fight crime into areas where you really need de-escalation tools and de-escalation measures.

And again, I've said this often, not every officer should be assigned to every type of police interaction. You don't send a pediatrician into brain surgery. Just because someone is qualified to be a healthcare professional, does not mean they're suited for every job. We do that in policing and I think that's a big mistake. And we need to rethink how we use the methods of policing in our country.

GOLODRYGA: So, in reality, how does that work? Because mostly when people call 911, there is an emergency and from my understanding, the officers that are most nearby are the ones who are dispatched and respond first, how would things change under some of the proposals you're making?

ADAMS: Well, every present area, a geographical area present or a district whichever methods you use in a particular municipality, you have those who are meant to help professionals in the hospital, in our psychiatric units in our hospitals, have them also connected to the response.

Every call of service we receive in a Police Department is not a call for mental health, illnesses or circumstances. If you get that 911 call that a person is experiencing a danger to himself or others, we should automatically have someone from that local hospital in a psychiatric ward that's normally open 24 hours connected to that response. This is more easy to do than people really believe. It's the lack of

coordination. We continuously believe that police is the only response that we should see in circumstances like this.

GOLODRYGA: That's such an important point. You talked about and I was struck about your -- struck by your story and how you were a victim of police violence when you were younger. You then went on to serve as a New York City police officer for two decades. How did your history with the police shape your experience then as a police officer?

ADAMS: A policeman is a noble profession. The prerequisite to prosperity is public safety. And I believe at that time, I felt extremely violated and bitter. And civil rights activists asked me to go into the Police Department and I became an activist and was engaged in how do we use this powerful entity to bridge gaps between those who want to harm our communities and those who want to live peacefully.

[13:20:08]

ADAMS: It's unfortunate that too many Police Departments come from outside the communities that they serve or protect.

And remember this, no one calls a police officer to invite into a birthday party, they call them there when the party is being disruptive.

So, oftentimes, police officers only have those negative encounters in communities, and they define the entire communities based on those negative encounters. We need to change that narrative and dynamic.

And I'm really concerned about America at this time. We have a high buildup of assault rifles, of guns, handguns, and was that -- there's a lot of tension and anger that's coming from the national government.

If we don't get this right, we're going to experience something in America that we've never witnessed before. And I think it's imperative that reasonable thinking adults understand we need the police, the police need our communities coming together. And that is what I'm pushing for before this goes too far.

GOLODRYGA: Well, thank you for your service. We need the police. We need justice on the streets of this country and maybe one day we can have police come to neighborhood birthday parties. Maybe that's the ultimate outcome that we can all hope for. Eric Adams, thank you so much for your service and for joining us today.

ADAMS: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: We appreciate it.

Well, President Trump's administration is taking new steps to end federal agency training programs on race sensitivity, even as protests nationwide are calling for an end to systemic racism.

The administration sent a memo to agencies on Friday railing against white privilege and critical race theory, calling the training divisive anti-American propaganda.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is looking into all of this. And Jeremy, what is this all about? There doesn't seem to be much detail here.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, there is not and White House officials so far haven't been able to provide a reason for why the president is now doing this, or what prompted this exactly. And they're also not providing any examples of these racial sensitivity trainings that they find objectionable.

But here's what Russ Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget says in this memo, let me read it to you. He says, 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 then, he says, the president has directed me to ensure that federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive un-American propaganda training sessions.

Now, he also describes these repeatedly in the memo. He says that in some of these sessions, federal workers are instructed to believe that virtually all white people contribute to racism, and that they are required to say that they benefit from racism.

They aren't providing though any examples of these actual sessions. Instead, they're citing "Press reports", none of which they appear to link to in this memo or have provided any examples of.

So, it's not clear exactly whether they are accurately describing any of these racial sensitivity trainings, and they don't provide any evidence to back it up. What is clear, though, there is evidence that the federal government has disproportionately for example, awarded

Federal contracts to white owned businesses as opposed to minority owned businesses. So, there is some exe -- some clear evidence that some racial sensitivity or racial bias training might be needed and beneficial in the federal governments.

But instead, the president's and his OMB director here appear to be painting these all with quite a broad brush and saying that they are going to be defunding these programs.

And clearly, the president is hot on this idea. He has tweeted or re- tweeted at least 20 times about this memo. But again, very few details on what the practical implications will be.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, the timing is interested. Perhaps, he's trying to change the narrative from another issue and another scandal that he himself is continuing to lash out about, and that's the bombshell report in The Atlantic about his disparaging remarks about U.S. troops and veterans.

Now, CNN has learned about additional comments that the president has made about American troops. What are they? DIAMOND: That's right, Bianna. As you said, the president has been adamantly and vociferously denying this report in The Atlantic about comments that he made while he was visiting France and when he was supposed to attend this ceremony at a -- at a cemetery for World War I veterans.

Now, CNN has also learned, according to one person familiar with the president's remarks, that the president has repeatedly questioned why Vietnam veterans ended up serving in that war and why they were not able to get out of service like the president himself did.

According to one source familiar with the remarks, the president has suggested that Vietnam veterans didn't know how to exploit the system to get out of serving.

And beyond the question of Vietnam veterans, this source also told CNN that the president has also questioned what veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars got out of serving in those wars, particularly because the president himself has voiced skepticism about why the U.S. entered those wars in the first place.

[13:25:11]

DIAMOND: So, it appears to be more evidence here Bianna that the president has questioned why military service members have served in the first place. What they got out of it.

Of course, the president for his part, he never served in the military. He received multiple deferments to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, including one which was a medical deferment claiming that he had bone spurs that didn't allow him to serve, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. Jeremy, our troops and our veterans of course deserve more and better. Thank you so much.

Well, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, as people head to the beach and gather at barbecues this holiday weekend, health officials issue a new warning about the coronavirus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:15]

GOLODRYGA: The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is encouraging Americans to stay vigilant this holiday weekend, to keep gatherings small.

Dr. Larry Brilliant is an epidemiologist and CNN medical expert.

Thanks for joining us, Doctor.

We did see a spike in cases following previous holiday weekends. How concerned are you that the same could result this time around?

DR. LARRY BRILLIANT, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Thank you for inviting me, Bianna. We're not only expecting a spike because it's Labor Day. We just heard

from the TSA that we are at the most number of air travel trips that we've had today since the pandemic began.

I'm afraid this just kicks off a season of bumps that will exacerbate the epidemic, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's.

On top of that, as the air gets cooler and dryer and people congregate more inside, and it's flu season, and children and college students go back and forth to college, schools open and close, we should be doing everything right now to offset those trends.

We should be having a massive program and accelerating our search and containment. And that's the part that bothers me.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, that's why you're hearing from medical experts suggesting that college students remain on campus and not travel back and forth to their communities.

Meantime, the president is pushing hard for a vaccine by the start of November, obviously, right around election time.

Russia is already claiming that its COVID vaccine is safe and effective and generating an immune response and published results in the "Lancet" journal.

Do you have any concerns about vaccines being rushed into use before they are ready?

BRILLIANT: Of course. First of all, we should hope all the vaccines that China and Russia and the U.K. and all of our American companies are making work and that they're safe. But we don't know yet.

Certainly that "Lancet" paper is underwhelming. They had 76 cases, two different studies of 38 each, as part of a 40,000-case study. They should complete that 40,000-case study before they publish.

And 76 is good for trombones and it's good for basketball teams. It's not good for science.

GOLODRYGA: Apparently, it's good enough for Vladimir Putin's daughter as well. But you're right, they didn't go through the phase-three trial.

This all comes as a key model is projecting more than 410,000 Americans could die by January. That's more than double the current death toll here in the United States.

Earlier today, the president's controversial new coronavirus advisor dismissed those predictions. I want you to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SCOTT ATLAS, MEMBER, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE: I think the model is ridiculous in many ways. When you look at what they're doing, they're claiming they can predict, if you wear masks and if you don't, how many deaths will occur. That is absurd.

I mean some of these people -- we are in a country that is off the rails. Somehow we're focusing on hypothetical models. We have massive evidence here. Let's look at what we know, instead of what we project in this theoretical model.

I think it's really off the rails when the taxicab driver starts knowing what a projection model is or starts telling me about Hydroxychloroquine.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: OK, when I say --

(CROSSTALK)

ATLAS: This is really off the rails.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: So that is Dr. Atlas, who's an advisor to the president. But even Dr. Ashish Jha, who's criticized this administration from the get-go, questions those numbers.

What do you make of them?

BRILLIANT: I think Dr. Atlas should stick to his profession. I understand he's a very good radiologist.

Of course, we're going to look at models. Of course, we're going to try to predict the future. Because in a normal administration, that's how you make policy.

What we're looking at from these models is not a hard end point of 400,000 deaths by the end of the year. Chris Murray, who's the best in the business, predicts there's a range between 300,000 and 600,000 deaths we might have, depending on how we behave.

And, yes, if everyone wears a face mask, we will reduce this disease down to almost nothing.

I'm sorry, Scott Atlas, that's the truth of it. We have ample data to say that.

In fact, right now, it's in our hands. Do we save lives by wearing face masks or do we listen to some foolishness that says that we can't control this epidemic and we're helpless?

We're not helpless. Wear face masks, practice social distancing, have a great holiday.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we will hopefully make sure our viewers listen to this and heed those warnings as well. Wear face masks and remain vigilant.

Dr. Larry Brilliant, thanks so much. Have a great weekend.

[13:35:00] BRILLIANT: Thank you, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: President Trump is declining to condemn an apparent attack on a Russian opposition leader.

The German government says Alexei Navalny, who's an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was poisoned with a chemical nerve agent Russia has used in the past and is demanding that the Russian government explain itself.

But here is some of what President Trump said about the attack at a press conference yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hear Germany has made -- was definitive or almost definitive -- but we have not seen it ourselves, no. We have not seen it ourselves.

I would certainly be OK with that. They want to do something. They want to take action. It shouldn't happen. It shouldn't happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Other world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, offered strong condemnation of the attack.

[13:40:01]

For more on this, I want to talk with Garry Kasparov, who is a former world chess champion and a chairman of the Human Rights Foundation and has been a long-time critic of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.

Garry, it's good to see you again. The last time you and I were on with me, we were both struck by the president's silence on Navalny's poisoning.

Now that we've heard from him, in another clip, he went on to question whether it was Russia before quickly deflecting to China and North Korea.

What do you make of that, that he cannot come out and say what we all know to be true?

GARRY KASPAROV, CHAIRMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION & FORMER WORLD CHESS CHAMPION: Trump understood that he had no choice. He had to say something after Germany proved that it was a poison, Novichok nerve agent, that Russian assassins used recently in England in another attempt to murder Putin's foe. But when Trump said something about Navalny, it's still -- you know,

it was half -- you know, halfway, if not less, because he refused to condemn Putin. He didn't go that far.

His own administration stating the plain fact that it was an attempted murder. Instead, he asked everyone: Why are you all asking about Russia? It's funny, isn't it?

Aside from Trump's campaign's collusion and Trump's decades of business contacts with shady Russian oligarchs and mobsters, it's a fact that Trump can never bring himself to criticize Putin, ever.

He'll attack anyone, military veterans, disabled people, anyone, anyone except Putin.

GOLODRYGA: It is something that we've seen time and time again over the past four years.

As we mentioned, European leaders have condemned the attack, as has NATO, but they have stopped short of announcing concrete measures, such as sanctions or the expulsion of diplomats, which they did after the Skripal poisonings.

One of the men accused of poisoning someone in 2006 is in charge of the investigation into Navalny's poisoning.

What message does this lack of coordinated action, of course, not being led by the United States, send to Vladimir Putin?

KASPAROV: Putin is laughing out loud because it's all talk, just all words, no actions. And no action against Putin now is a license to kill.

Every time this happens, another Kremlin critic poisoned or gunned down, I am asked if I feel safe. No, I don't. And every time Putin gets away with murder, I feel less safe.

And we heard strong condemnations from European capitals. But what about business, things that Putin really cares, money? Money that's flowing into Russia from all these oil and gas deals. What about Putin billionaire pals that are traveling around the world.

So far, the free world stopped short of offering true deterrence against Putin.

GOLODRYGA: Many are now saying that Angela Merkel really should think twice about continuing with the Nord Stream 2 deal.

You spoke out with Russia's meddling in 2016. Four years later, Trump says China poses a greater threat to U.S. democracy than Russia.

What do you say to that? And what do you expect to see as far as Russia's role in the 2020 election?

KASPAROV: I cannot argue that China is a strategic threat to the United States and to the free world, but it's a strategic long-term threat.

Putin is an immediate threat to American democracy because, as Putin interfered in American elections in 2016, he will double, triple his efforts to save Trump because Trump is the only -- he's the only hope for Putin to be shielded from real actions that one day could come from the free world.

Without American leadership, NATO or European Union cannot really harm Putin. So that's why I expect Putin to do everything, every trick in the book, and even go beyond what we can imagine, to help his asset in the Oval Office.

GOLODRYGA: Garry Kasparov, thank you for speaking out, even at the expense of you being concerned about your own safety. I hope you and your family are safe.

My son longs to play chess with you some day. That's his dream. Hopefully, we'll make that happen.

Thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.

KASPAROV: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: President Trump met with Vladimir Putin back in 2018. It's one of the many topics discussed in a new CNN special report on the Trump presidency. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:44:57]

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Being in Helsinki for President Trump's press conference with Vladimir Putin is one thing I will never forget for the rest of my life. When he says that he talked to Vladimir Putin, that he believed him --

TRUMP: He just said it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be.

COLLINS: Vladimir Putin, this former KGB agent, for the president to take his word like that was so stunning.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Why does he seem to like Putin despite the fact Putin is perhaps the primary enemy of the United States?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think the president repeatedly confuses having good personal relationships with foreign leaders with having good overall bilateral relationships between the two countries.

TAPPER (voice-over): Trump's public allegiance to President Putin, according to former national security advisor, John Bolton, has led the president to resist intelligence warnings about Russia.

(on camera): What was it like briefing him? BOLTON: It was clear he wasn't reading much of the material he was

being sent. So I tried to be opportunistic in finding circumstances where I could convey information I felt that he needed. But I don't think that proved very successful.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: I've been in briefings many times when the president is being briefed on everything from domestic issues to national security issues to foreign policy issues.

He's a listener. People miss how patient he is. I think that comes from being a deal maker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Jake Tapper hosts "FIGHT FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY," Monday night at 10:00 eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:56]

GOLODRYGA: The new CNN film, "On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries," gives you an all-access path to the early presidential race following some of CNN's female correspondents, reporters and embeds as they cover the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN POLITICAL EMBED PRODUCER: This is what we call hell week.

Oh, my god, this feels so nice.

On a normal day, I do three events a day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

(CHEERING)

DIAZ: This isn't going to work.

I'm a campaign embed. I stalk presidential candidates for a living.

Can I just get in there?

I run around with a 20-pound camera, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Oh, there she is.

Documenting everything that a presidential candidate is doing.

Right now I'm covering Senator Elizabeth Warren. I've been traveling the country with her for eight months, full-time, nonstop, providing the base for coverage to our company. JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN POLITICAL EMBED PRODUCER: We are CNN's eyes and

ears on the ground. We know what you have to raise the roof about.

If we don't walk toward her and she goes over there, we'll miss out.

It's a ground grueling job that takes almost everything you have some days.

(CROSSTALK)

DIAZ: -- Bernie Sanders whether a woman could win an election?

WRIGHT: It's an argument between him and Elizabeth and I was not in the room.

You're basically giving up a part of your life for the next nearly two years. But afterwards, you will have covered a presidential election.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did that feel?

WRIGHT: Feels good.

This is why I do this job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And joining us now are two of those warriors, CNN's political embed producers featured in the film, Daniella Diaz and Jasmine Wright.

That was incredible to watch.

You're both young women of color.

I'm curious, Daniella, how did this impact you during this election cycle.

DIAZ: Bianna, being a Latina from McAllen, Texas, impacts everything I do and bring to my job.

I'm bilingual and I'm able to bring my culture and perspective into my job every day, bring my past experiences with immigration. When I cover immigration, it's what makes me a better reporter.

GOLODRYGA: And, Jasmine Wright, aside from raising the roof when you need to, what has this been like for you?

WRIGHT: I mean, it's been really the experience of a lifetime.

And to kind of go off what Daniella said, we know that women of color are underrepresented in this country in terms of the stories that we're putting out. And so one of the really impactful things about being a black woman and an embed is that I get to tell those stories.

And when I was on Senator Kamala Harris and when I was on Senator Klobuchar, I got to incorporate those lived experiences that I've had that I know that other women who look like me have had, in the telling of this campaign story and the telling of this election.

GOLODRYGA: And you, of course, will be inspirations for so many journalists and aspiring journalists of color in particular, other women who will want to follow in your footsteps.

Daniella, what advice do you have for those young women who are interested in reporting on politics and have the opportunity of a lifetime to be an embed, what you and Jasmine are doing?

DIAZ: I just want to tell them that they can do this job. You know, before us, I wouldn't see a lot of people that looked like us doing this job.

And we can do this. We can cover politics. We can travel the country and report for a network like CNN and tell these important stories that we hear from voters in an election.

Just hustle and work hard and put your heart to it and it's totally possible.

GOLODRYGA: Well, you both are our eyes and ears on the road. We've been so grateful to have you out there. And I'm so happy that the world now gets to see your talents as well. You, presidential stalkers, as you call yourselves.

[13:55:07]

Thank you so much. Daniella Diaz and Jasmine Wight, we appreciate it.

DIAZ: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: You can watch "On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primary." It's an HBO Max original, tonight at 8:00 Eastern on CNN.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Ana Cabrera in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)