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Trump to Nominate Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court; Trump Won't Commit to Peaceful Transfer, Ramps Up Baseless Claims of Widespread Voter Fraud; Single-Shot Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Showing Strong Immune Response; Argentina Struggles to Contain Virus' Toll; Terror Attack in Paris; U.S. Passes 7 Million COVID-19 Cases. Aired 2- 2:45a ET

Aired September 26, 2020 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): We now know who the U.S. president is expected to nominate to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the country's highest court. It is a decision that could affect rulings for the next 30 to 40 years.

President Trump also continuing to sow doubts about the legitimacy of the upcoming election, before it has even been held, with talk of voter fraud.

And a new wave of coronavirus, stoking fears across Europe.

Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, I am Michael Holmes.

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HOLMES: Welcome, everyone.

One chapter in American history ends and the next could begin in the next few hours. We are talking about the past and the future of the U.S. Supreme Court. Friday, the late justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, became the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. It is one of the nation's highest honors.

Ginsburg will be laid to rest next week at Arlington National Cemetery. We also learned that the top choice to replace the liberal icon will likely be a very conservative judge, who is still in her 40s, meaning, if Amy Coney Barrett is announced on Saturday and is confirmed, she could be on the bench for more than a generation. CNN's Pamela Brown reports.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned, President Trump intends to pick Amy Coney Barrett, as his nominee for the Supreme Court.

Republican allies have been told by the White House, this is who the president wants, and that announcement expected to be made later this evening, around 5:00 pm Eastern. Amy Coney Barrett, seen as a front-runner from the get-go. She was

interviewed by the president for the last Supreme Court vacancy; that, ultimately, went to justice Kavanaugh.

She is someone who has conservative credentials and a compelling personal story. She has 7 children, including one child with Down syndrome, and two adopted children from Haiti. She was a former professor at Notre Dame, she clerked for Justice Scalia and Trump wants to put people in the high court who were modeled after justice Scalia.

She certainly fits the bill in that part. This essentially has been the plan all along. Sources say Mitch McConnell had been in touch with the White House and Amy Coney Barrett was someone he had been pushing for because he thought he would have the votes for her.

Of course, with the election around the corner, the White House did not want to take chances. In a sense, Barrett is seen as the safe pick. Machinery is already in motion for her, said one source, to be announced as the nominee.

Of course, the confirmation hearing ahead. So, we are now just waiting for the announcement from the president. But there is always the caveat that the president could change his mind. It is unlikely at this point.

But with a president with an unpredictable nature, sources always caveat that until he makes the announcement, nothing is final -- Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: As the country paid respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many brought flowers, prayed or gave salutes. Her personal trainer did this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (voice-over): Bryant Johnson did three pushups inside the U.S. Capitol as he said his final goodbyes. The late justice had been an unlikely fitness role model, consistently working out, despite multiple health battles in her later years.

Johnson said Ginsburg continued her workouts at the Supreme Court gym, even through the pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Senate Democrats say that they will urge Mr. Trump's Supreme Court nominee to recuse herself, if the court hears a case that could affect the election outcome. It appears the president is priming the misinformation pump for just such a fight. CNN's Jim Acosta, with the latest, from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As supporters chanted "12 more years" at a campaign event in Atlanta, president mocked the firestorm he created this week over his refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a dictator. We've been -- he will not give up power.

[02:05:00]

TRUMP: Under no circumstances will he give up power. He intends to serve at least two more terms.

ACOSTA: Earlier in the day, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows amped up the campaign season uncertainty, blasting FBI Director Christopher Wray for simply stating the facts, that there is no widespread evidence of voter fraud.

MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: With all due respect to Director Wray, he has a hard time finding e-mails in his own FBI, let alone of figuring out whether there's any kind of voter fraud.

ACOSTA: That was in response to Wray, who pushed back on the president's false conspiracy theory that mail-in ballots will lead to a rigged election.

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We have not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise.

TRUMP: Get rid of the ballots and you will have a very -- we'll have a very peaceful -- there won't be a transfer, frankly. There'll be a continuation.

ACOSTA: The president's threats don't seem to worry Democrat Joe Biden, who is laughing off the controversy.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Every vote in this country is going to be heard and will not be stopped. And I'm confident. All the irresponsible, outrageous attacks on voting, we will have an election in this country, as we always have had. And he will leave.

ACOSTA: CNN has confirmed Attorney General William Barr briefed the president on an investigation into a handful of discarded mail-in ballots for Mr. Trump in Pennsylvania.

The president then referenced the situation on FOX Radio.

TRUMP: They had Trump written on it and they were thrown running in a garbage can. And this is what's going to happen.

ACOSTA: Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany also pointed to the discarded ballots even before the U.S. attorney handling the matter issued a press release on the case.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can confirm for you that Trump ballots, ballots for the president were found in Pennsylvania.

ACOSTA: The controversy over the president's transfer of power remarks have raised alarm bells at the Pentagon, where officials are worried Mr. Trump will try to use the military to quell any unrest over the election results.

The use of federal forces during protests in June led the defense secretary to warn he won't be cowed into deploying U.S. service members onto American streets.

MARK ESPER, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations.

ACOSTA: On the coronavirus, CNN has learned there are growing concerns inside the Centers for Disease Control over the president's handling of the pandemic, with one official saying: "The morale is as low as I have ever seen it and we have no confidence in our leadership."

The president continues to claim that government scientists are delaying the approval of a vaccine to damage Mr. Trump's election chances.

TRUMP: They're trying to do a little bit of a political hit. Let's delay it just a little bit. You notice that? Let's delay the vaccine just a little bit.

ACOSTA: The president is losing patience with CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, who has slammed the notion of some deep state conspiracy.

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: I want to add how disappointed I have been personally when people at HHS made comments that they felt that there was a deep state down at CDC.

ACOSTA: The president is unveiling what the White House calls a health care plan, something trump has hinted at for months. But the president's plan appears to have some gaping holes in it.

While he claims he will protect people with pre-existing conditions, the president is not saying how that will be guaranteed, if his administration is successful in its efforts to overturn ObamaCare, in a case to be heard at the Supreme Court, after the election -- Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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HOLMES: Joining me now, CNN political commentator, Matt Lewis. He is also a senior columnist at "The Daily Beast."

Matt, always great to get you on the program. The president, clearly, building a case that mail-in ballots will make the result of the election; if not now, then, at least, an issue for the Supreme Court. He was doing it again in his latest rally today. That is despite there being zero evidence of widespread fraud. Given the paucity of evidence, how dangerous is that strategy for the

country in terms of public faith in the system and the notion of free and fair elections?

MATT LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I just think it is super destructive right now. We are already so polarized and trust in our institutions is already pretty low. For the president to go around suggesting there will be voter fraud, preemptively, putting it out there, I think is dangerous and irresponsible.

HOLMES: I guess there is this other scenario that is being discussed now, Fareed Zakaria discussing it in his latest column, that Republican state legislators could, after the election claim, even without hard evidence, that there was chaos and fraud in the protest. Unilaterally declaring that Republicans win their state, no matter the popular vote. That is possible.

Do you think it could come to that sort of scenario?

LEWIS: I don't think so. Maybe I am being naive, maybe I still believe people will step up, do the right thing.

[02:10:00]

LEWIS: But the fact is, this is something we are talking, about this close to of the election. It is indicative of how bad things are right now, right here. The fact that we are talking about the possibility that you could have these electors to basically go against the fair vote and, unilaterally, throw the election to Trump. I don't think it would happen but the fact that we're having the conversation is just so indicative of how destructive it is.

HOLMES: Yes, I was loath to raise it but then a couple very smart people have over the last few days and the fact that we're talking about it, this does seem extraordinary. It's extraordinary, on Friday, the White House chief of, staff attacking the Donald Trump appointed FBI director, Christopher Wray, for saying under oath that while there was occasionally isolated sort of corruption, historically, there's been no coordinated fraud effort in a major election by mail or otherwise.

It just magnifies the perception that the administration sees such law enforcement and legal officials like Wray as working for the president and not the people.

What is your take on that?

LEWIS: Clearly, they do think that people should be loyal to Trump personally, not so much to the Constitution, not so much the public, not to the truth. We saw that going back to the James Comey thing. Even impeachment, do me a favor, so that Donald Trump basically sees, loyalty, to him, as loyalty to America, as to patriotism.

But people tend to tell the truth in the Trump administration when they're under oat or after they've left the White House, if you've noticed. And I think the person who fits that category, to believe that person, don't believe the current chief of staff, believe the guy under oath.

HOLMES: That's a very good point -- or the one that just left.

What about the willingness or otherwise, of Republican lawmakers to stand up to Donald Trump if he refuses to accept the will of voters?

Ron Brownstein put it this way on the program yesterday, saying, whenever the president breaks a window, congressional Republicans sweep up the glass.

Where are they in all of this?

LEWIS: I have been actually pleasantly surprised that several Republicans have stepped up and, at least rhetorically, said -- I don't want to say they've condemned his remarks because I don't want to give them too much credit -- but they've essentially said this is not going to happen. There will be a peaceful transfer of power, as there has always been.

So, I feel like Republicans are starting to say the right thing. But I think, as Ron noted, they do not have a proud history of standing up to Donald Trump when push came to shove.

Remember impeachment?

Only two Republicans would even vote to allow witnesses to appear in his impeachment trial. So they're not so tough when it comes to standing up to him.

HOLMES: Good point, Matt, good to see you, Matt Lewis, thank you so much.

LEWIS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We'll take a quick break. When we come back, Europe feeling the pressure of rising coronavirus case numbers, especially the U.K. and France. We will have more, after the break.

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HOLMES: Welcome back.

The country worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic once again finds itself crossing a troubling and horrendous marker. The U.S. now surpassing 7 million known cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. This after reaching 200,000 deaths.

Globally the death toll approaching 1 million. Meanwhile, America's top infectious disease expert says we could soon know how effective the vaccines in development are. Vaccinations could start by the end of the year.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: You put the timing of the trials, the number of infections that we've seen now, 30,000-40,000 infections a day, I believe we'll have an answer by November or December and possibly even earlier.

If you happen to have a bunch of infections that occur within the sites that are enrolling patients, then you might get an answer earlier.

My prediction would be, safely speaking, November or December but I wouldn't be overly surprised if you had an answer a little bit before then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Fauci warns it could be well into 2021 before enough people have taken the vaccine to be much of an impact on the virus.

And a key coronavirus model warning of a surge in cases as people move indoors to escape cooler weather. It projects up to 3,000 deaths a day in the U.S. by the end of the year. It's around 1,000 now.

But the same IHME model says 100,000 lives could be saved, over the same time period, if 95 percent of Americans would just wear a mask.

As the virus continues to tear through Europe, we are seeing big and worrying, numbers of new cases coming in the U.K. and in France. Now Cyril Vanier with that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.K. got more bad news on Friday, with the highest number of daily infections on record. More than 6,800 new cases, higher than any daily number, previously recorded, even during the darkest days of the pandemic.

For context, that does not mean that more people are being infected now than in March or April. The British health secretary estimates that at the peak of the first wave, more than 100,00 people were catching the disease every day but only a fraction of them were being detected.

It's a very different story now, as testing is being ramped up. But still, the rise we are seeing now is, worrisome, because it is exponential. Health authorities estimated earlier this week that, at the current rate, daily case numbers were doubling every seven days, which would mean tens of thousands of new daily cases next month.

That's why new restrictions have already been announced. A 10 pm curfew on pubs and restaurants; work from home for those who can. A new contract tracing app was also launched on Thursday, to break chains of contamination.

And there are tougher restrictions in parts of the country where the virus is spreading the fastest. But it will be several more days, around a week, before we can see if these measures will actually be impactful.

The U.K. government, hoping it can avoid imposing a second national lockdown but it has not ruled out that possibility. You only need to look at Britain's neighbors, to see where this might be headed.

A month ago, France had similar numbers to what we're seeing in the U.K. at the moment. Now they're at 16,000 new cases a day. They're having to plan much stronger restrictions, for instance, completely shutting down bars and restaurants in the southern city of Marseille.

The U.K. government hopes it can course correct before things get to that -- Cyril Vanier, CNN, London.

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HOLMES: Argentina, one of the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, is struggling with a crumbling public health system and also a faltering economy to deal with. But the crisis is not just national for the family members, the families behind those numbers; it is deeply personal. CNN's Matt Rivers with that.

[02:20:00]

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fernanda Mariotti's mom, Marta (ph), got the coronavirus back in July. As any daughter would want, she tried to see her mom at the hospital but she was not allowed in.

FERNANDA MARIOTTI, MARTHA'S DAUGHTER: They wouldn't let me come in.

RIVERS (voice-over): "Let me in. She could die," she says she told the doctors.

"You will not let me in?

Around the world, restrictions on hospital access have made a brutal sickness, that much harder for families, after 14 days in the ICU, Marta (ph) passed away.

Her daughter says, "I tried to keep going, to know that, in her heart, she knew that we loved her, that we didn't want to abandon her. This has been very hard."

Fernanda's story is increasingly common in Argentina, where the COVID crisis is now, arguably, the worst of any country in Latin America.

Among the region's largest countries, its seven-day average of new cases is growing, trailing only Brazil, a country with a population 4.5 times greater. Its average daily deaths, higher than they've ever been. It was in March that Argentina's president announced a national

quarantine and for a while, the country was a coronavirus success story. But infections kept creeping up, first in the Buenos Aires region, now, exploding in other parts of the country.

Medical workers, taking to the streets this weekend in Buenos Aires, demanding more support from the government.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Spanish).

RIVERS (voice-over): This worker says, "We are protesting because the health system is on the brink of collapse."

There is also an economic collapse, already underway; an economy that was sputtering before the pandemic might contract 10 percent this year, says the IMF. Inflation is rampant and exchanging pesos for dollars on the black-market costs about 75 percent more than before the pandemic.

It has led to people protesting in the streets, even as viral threats and quarantine rules remain.

This protester says, "I'm sick of my children and their friends saying the only solution is to leave the country."

For now, though, leaving the country is not all that easy. Nearly all international travel, to and from Argentina, will be suspended, through at least October 11th -- Matt Rivers, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: After being delayed a year by the pandemic, Tokyo Olympic organizers reveal some of the precautions they will take against the coronavirus during next summer's games.

In a speech to the United Nations, the prime minister said, quote, "In the summer of next year, Japan is determined to host the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as proof that humanity has defeated the pandemic."

He goes on, "I will continue to spare no effort in order to welcome you to games that are safe and secure."

Now the games are scheduled to take place from July 23rd until August 8th in 2021. CNN's Will Ripley with more on what organizers are planning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For months, Japan's Olympic stadium has been sitting empty. Some people wondering if it'll ever see the opening and closing ceremonies, if it will be safe to bring in athletes and speculators from all over the world.

If there's not a vaccine for COVID-19. Now Japanese officials are saying with or without a vaccine, they will hold the games next summer. They're releasing more information about their plans to do so safely.

Part of that involves fewer people. That means cutting the size of the delegations from each country by 10-15 percent and canceling some events that are traditional but not necessary, like the opening ceremony for the International Olympic Committee, which is now no longer taking place.

In terms of the big opening and closing ceremonies, some of the special effects might be dialed back to save on expenses. Also, they will reduce the number of speculator seats by 30 percent.

You won't necessarily see an empty stadium but you won't see as many people in the crowds as there has been in previous years, which raises the question, what happens to all the people who bought a ticket?

As for the athletes coming in to Japan, how do they stay safe?

Well, it is not really practical to expect the athletes to go through a mandatory 2 week quarantine. Their schedule does not allow that. So instead of quarantine, the condition for the athletes coming in is they have to take a coronavirus test at least 5 times, within 72 hours.

That means they're tested before departure, upon arrival at the airport, when arriving at the camp and Olympic Village and during the duration of their stay at the training camp and the Olympic Village before and during the games.

Athletes' movements, they could be monitored by their governing organizations and even through the use of a mobile app. Athletes may be required to submit and abide by a schedule and a plan of action upon arrival.

The Olympics will go, on the Japanese say and they'll try to make them look like normal but of course, this is a new reality and a new, day and they're trying to do everything they can to keep people safe -- Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A trial is well underway in the "Charlie Hebdo" massacre 5 years ago. Now 2 people are injured in an attack outside of the former headquarters of the satirical magazine. We'll get the latest, life from Paris, after the break.

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HOLMES: France prosecutors have opened a terror investigation after two people were stabbed and seriously injured in Paris. The attack happened near the former office of the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine, where a deadly terror attack happened five years ago.

Police have arrested several people, including the person they say is the main suspect in Friday's attack. CNN's Melissa Bell standing by with the latest for us.

What more are you learning?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, the latest information is that all these extra arrests were made late last night. We heard, very quickly after the attack happened and once journalists had arrived, around the perimeter. The police had cordoned off this area, in Paris, where the "Charlie Hebdo" offices were, since the company moved out after the attacks of January 2015 and where this production company, was.

Two people were having a cigarette break, when they were attacked by a man very quickly. We heard the arrest, both of the 18-year-old, who police believe were directly responsible and of an accomplice, whose links to him were not quite as clear.

It was late last night, we heard five extra people were arrested, in the home of one of those two men, bringing that total to 7. As for the victims, we understand that they are in serious but stable condition. They are not risking death and we heard all of this very quickly, because, as we waited, there around the perimeter yesterday, to find out more, the prime minister, the interior minister, the French prosecutor and the barrister mayor came to speak to journalists to give us the latest, very quickly, linking this attack to "Charlie Hebdo" in its inspiration, at least.

Simply because, as the Paris prosecutor explained, the location of where this attack happened and the timing of the attack, since, even now, the trial into those "Charlie Hebdo" attacks is ongoing, 14 people on trial here in Paris, suspected of links to the 3 people who carried out those brutal attacks.

You will remember, from January 2015. Also, because of the determined nature of the perpetrator to endanger lives.

HOLMES: Melissa, in Paris, thank you so much.

The former secretary of state for the Vatican saying, he will prove his innocence, after being fired for alleged embezzlement. Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu is accused of giving Vatican money to support two of his brothers' businesses.

The cardinal says, he had approval to make the payments. Pope Francis, asking him to resign, saying, he can no longer trust the cardinal.

We will take a quick break, when we come back, U.S. coronavirus numbers, going in the wrong direction. Experts warn, things could get worse, if people do not change their behaviors. We will be right back.

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HOLMES: More now on the rise in coronavirus infections in the U.S., as the worst hit country in the world passes the 7 million cases mark, increases are being felt in 23, mostly Midwestern states. Experts fear that the trend could worsen, as the weather gets colder. Erica Hill with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight months in, the numbers keep climbing. More than 44,000 new cases, reported on Thursday; 914 additional deaths and the virus, that just won't quit.

FAUCI: Given the fact we have never gotten down to a good baseline, we are still in the first wave. Rather than say a second wave, why don't we say, oh, we prepared for the challenge of the fall, in the winter?

HILL (voice-over): That challenge?

More time indoors, and the flu.

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We have to keep on wearing masks and keep on physical distancing and avoid indoor gatherings as much as we can. Also, get a flu shot now.

FAUCI: We have ordered 200 million doses this year. It is the highest amount we have ever tried to vaccinate.

HILL (voice-over): An influential model, now predicts COVID-19 related deaths could top 371,000 by January 1st.

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EMORY UNIVERSITY: It's up to us to change this and as the model from IHME says, if we wear a mask, if we all wear masks, we can actually bring the number of new infection and the number of transmissions down significantly.

HILL (voice-over): Right now, only a dozen states show mask usage above 50 percent. If it was 95 percent, nationwide, the same researchers say that we could save nearly 100,000 lives between now and December.

DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We are moving in the wrong direction and in a very critical moment.

HILL (voice-over): Twenty-three states, much of the West and the middle of the country, seeing an increase in new cases over the last week. They are down in Pennsylvania but an outbreak at this nursing home prompted officials to call in the National Guard for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will take as much assistance from the state and federal government as we can. HILL (voice-over): At least 47 residents and a dozen staff have tested

positive.

UNC Chapel Hill, now eyeing January for a return to the classroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hopes is that we will bring students back to live and learn on campus this spring semester.

HILL (voice-over): It is one of at least 27 schools that have shifted classes online, because of the virus. SEC Football returns tomorrow.

Though the stands won't look like this. The back 12 will now take the field in November, after initially postponing all sports until 2021.

In Florida, the governor is also talking football.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We expect to do a full Super Bowl. and we're going to show that we're going to be able to do that.

HILL (voice-over): First step, giving bars and restaurants the green light to operate at full capacity, overriding some local restrictions. Mask fines, also gone.

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D-FL), MIAMI BEACH: This is really just not the way to handle either health care or an economic crisis.

HILL: As Governor DeSantis declares Florida is open for business, just across the river behind me in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy has actually extended his state's public health emergency, noting that even with a positivity rate of 2.2 percent, there is clear evidence they are not out of the woods yet -- in New York, I'm Erica Hill, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:00]

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HOLMES: Joining me now is Dr. Craig Coopersmith, director of the Emory Critical Care Center in Atlanta.

There's some interesting information coming out of Emory. A lower number of deaths for critically ill COVID patients, that is the indicator over time the mortality in ICUs decreasing.

What are you seeing and why is it so?

DR. CRAIG COOPERSMITH, EMORY CRITICAL CARE CENTER, ATLANTA: We are seeing a decrease in deaths, depending upon the month since, we first started seeing COVID-19 in March. We're seeing a decrease of anywhere between 20 percent, to 50 percent number of deaths of patients in the intensive care unit.

And, there is multiple reasons for this. One reason, is we have a new drug that treat patients with COVID-19 who are on ventilators. It is an old drug that's readily available, steroids, specifically dexamethasone, which we use for other reasons but have not used before in COVID-19.

Recent studies show, it dramatically decreases mortality in COVID-19. Based upon that, around the world and certainly at Emory, we're using dexamethasone,, a steroid, in every patient who's on a ventilator and we're seeing a decrease in mortality.

HOLMES: The trend has been documented in ICUs around the world. But I guess, the reality is, people treated in the ICU for COVID, are at higher risk of death than is the case for other viral lung diseases, if I've read the data correctly.

Overall, how do COVID deaths compared to the other big killers?

COOPERSMITH: Certainly, on a per patient basis, the mortality is higher than for COVID, than for heart attack or stroke or cancer in the acute setting. It's a significantly higher chance of dying.

HOLMES: Which is worrying. It seems like the wrong word, but how much has not just preparation but practice played in this when it comes to caregivers?

I was reading how ICU physicians, at Emory hospitals are sharing their personal experiences and ideas with one another in a daily text chat.

How has COVID-19 changed how doctors collaborate and how have they gotten better at this?

COOPERSMITH: We've gotten so much better collaborating. We have multiple hospitals, in Emory Health Care and every morning starts out with a text for me, to 15 different people, that goes around 7:15 am that's says, good morning, Team COVID.

It reminds everybody to share their daily experience and also anything they see that's out of the ordinary. So what happens, if one person brings something, up and no one else brings it up, it is probably a one-off.

But if one person brings it up and somebody says I have seen this and someone else says I've seen this, all in different ICUs, different hospitals, we recognize there is a pattern and we press it.

As opposed to March, whenever everybody was taking care of COVID patients for the first time, people are now taking care of COVID patients for the 10th time and the 15th time.

And while I wouldn't ever use the word routine, it certainly has become the new normal. And, with new normal, there is an increase in confidence in our protocols, increasing confidence of I've seen this 20 times before, I've seen this 50 times before and I know what to do.

HOLMES: The collaboration gets better, the skill set gets better and the outcomes get better, which is great. I want to ask you this before we go. Dr. Fauci said the other day, we are still in the first wave of coronavirus.

You had Florida today announcing a complete dropping of restrictions. You've got political rallies going on.

Could we see ERs stretched to capacity this winter, when the second wave eventually hits?

COOPERSMITH: It is certainly concerning that the reality stays the same, this is a remarkably contagious disease and we can do our part by wearing masks, by social distancing. The more we do our part, the fewer patients are going to end up in our intensive care units and the fewer patients are going to die.

We can't totally prevent the disease from spreading; however, we can assuredly make a second wave less severe than it otherwise could have been by our own behavior.

HOLMES: It does seem remarkable that 1,000 deaths a day has almost become normal, which, is very worrying. Dr. Craig Coopersmith, thank you so, much really appreciate it.

COOPERSMITH: Thank you so much for your time. Stay safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:40:00]

HOLMES: From the Arctic to Australia, to Hong Kong. Youth climate activists, from around the world, gathered to all attention to climate change. The demonstrations, inspired by Greta Thunberg, are smaller in scale this year, because of the coronavirus.

But the goal to make positive changes to the environment is still very much the same.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): A teen, at the top of the world, this 18-year-old climate activist stands on a block of ice in the Arctic in one of the first and most socially distanced climate strikes of the newly revived Fridays for Future movement.

MYA-ROSE CRAIG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: It's so beautiful and it's so unique. And all I can think about, while I am here, is the fact that it could be gone by the time I am 30.

HOLMES (voice-over): Though this protest took place earlier this week, young climate activists around the world led by Greta Thunberg were back on the streets Friday to raise awareness to climate action.

From Berlin, to the Philippines, to Uganda. The message was the same. To keep the rise of global average temperatures under 2 degrees Celsius this century, even though the demonstrations were on a smaller scale than in the past because of the coronavirus.

GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: Well, you need to keep the climate protests (INAUDIBLE). It's as simple as that.

HOLMES (voice-over): Holding signs saying, "No gas," teen activists in Sydney, urging leaders to invest in renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

Australia has one of the highest per capita emissions of carbon dioxide in the world, something the teens here say, needs to change.

AMBROSE HAYES, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: If we don't take action, we will face more intense droughts, more intense fires, more intense -- all these different causes. And the thing is, these are just going to happen more and more.

HOLMES (voice-over): A group of young people in Hong Kong spent their day dedicated to the planet by picking up trash.

LANCE LAU, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: No one is too small to make a difference. We can all start making a difference and taking action today.

HOLMES (voice-over): A call to action, the next generation says, will continue to grow as long as leaders ignore the global crisis that began long before the coronavirus.

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HOLMES: I am Michael Holmes, thank you for spending part of your day with, me I'll be back in 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM. For now, stay tuned for "MARKETPLACE AFRICA."