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CDC Announces 299,000 Excess Deaths Since January; Trump May Need Upper Midwest to Win Election; Maria Bartiromo Pushes Conspiracy Theories on Fox. Aired 2-2:30p ET
Aired October 20, 2020 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:01:33]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: It is the top of the hour, I'm Brianna Keilar. And this just in, a new CDC report shows just how devastating this pandemic has been since it started, with tens of thousands of what's called "excess deaths."
This is quoting the report. "An estimated 299,028 more persons than expected have died since January 26, 2020; approximately two-thirds of these deaths were attributed to COVID-19."
This as the nation reports more than 58,000 new cases a day, this is a level that has not been seen since mid-July. And that number is 40 percent higher than last Monday's total.
Over the last seven days, 400,000 people have become infected in this country, but the president is still denying reality, telling us this crisis is getting better when it isn't.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BRIAN KILMEADE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: What is the plan to live with it while staying safe from it?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): Well, we are living with it and we're having the vaccines coming out very soon. With or without the vaccines, we're rounding the turn. We will never shut down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KEILAR: And how often is President Trump meeting with members of his Coronavirus Task Force? The head of the National Institutes of Health had this to say.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (via telephone): We have not met with the president in quite some time. I think the president is primarily getting his information from the vice president, from Dr. Atlas. There's not a direct connection between the task force members and the president, as there was a few months ago. But this seems to be a different time with different priorities.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KEILAR: Elizabeth Cohen is CNN's senior medical correspondent. And let's walk through these CDC numbers, because you've got an estimated 299,000 -- almost 300,000 deaths -- more deaths -- than were expected, Elizabeth, two thirds of those attributed to COVID-19. So what about the other third?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, we're actually not sure exactly what that other third is. It could be a combination of things, it probably is a combination of different causes of deaths. Some of them might be because of delayed care during -- especially in the beginning of the outbreak. A lot of people sort of delayed their care, delayed their cancer tests, all of that, and that might be also at play here.
What's really interesting here is that when you look at these numbers, Brianna, what you see is that the age group that's most affected was actually relatively young people, between the ages of 25 and 44. In other words, when you look at deaths in that age group 25 to 44, for this year, from late January until early October, compare it for the same time period for 2019 or 18 or all -- you know, back five years, the most dramatic difference is for that age group. So compared to previous years, that age group has suffered more than other age groups.
Also Hispanic people have suffered more than other ethnic groups. And this really sort of gives you a feeling for just how dramatic this all is.
So when President Trump tries to say that COVID is in effect no big deal, these numbers say different.
KEILAR: Yes, it is a big deal and it's a bigger deal for groups that maybe you didn't even think of. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for taking us through that.
COHEN: Thanks.
KEILAR: My next guest has spent more than 30 years in public health. James Blumenstock is senior vice president for Pandemic Response and Recovery of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, which is the organization that represents more than 100,000 public health professionals across the country.
James, thank you for being with us. And I just want to get your reaction. When you hear the CDC study saying that there have been almost 300,000 excess deaths from coronavirus -- or really, two-thirds of those being attributed to COVID-19. What's your reaction to that?
[14:05:13]
JAMES BLUMENSTOCK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR PANDEMIC RESPONSE, ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND TERRITORIAL HEALTH OFFICIALS: Well hi, Brianna. You know, the data speak for themselves. You know, clearly, you know, we are seeing a serious uptick in cases across the country right now.
And as you talk about the demographics and the populations that are being represented in the data that you've just shared, you know, I think we could attribute the increase in cases really to two main factors.
You know, first is the change of seasons. You know, with the fall coming and colder weather, more people are going to be recreating and socializing indoors, which really increases the risk of exposure.
And the second point -- which is a harsh reality, btu we have to recognize it -- is the fact that we as a society are dealing with pandemic fatigue. It's real just as the threat is. You know, we have to recognize it's been a long, hard seven to eight months for everyone, and sometimes we let our guard down, especially as we try to return to some degree of ordinary life and activities.
But still, we all must be strong and not fall victim to a false sense of security, even when we're in familiar or otherwise safe environments. You know, we all have our own personal or social bubble that we feel comfortable in. But in these times and with the data that you just shared, clearly that is not sufficient protection for us to rely upon if we're going to get through this together in a safer way.
KEILAR: Let's talk about the vaccine now, because you actually say that states won't have the money to distribute the vaccine properly. Why is that?
BLUMENSTOCK: Well, the states and territories and local health departments are really working 24/7 to build out their plans and develop a state of readiness, should and when an acceptable vaccine become available.
The level of effort and the money needed to do planning, OK, you know, is minor compared to the amount of resources that will be needed to launch this national historic complex vaccination campaign that could commence as soon as the next several months.
It is hugely labor- and technology-intensive and the nation's public health system just does not have available resources in its coffers to support that level of effort to ensure that the vaccine is administered as safely, efficiently and effectively and equitably as possible.
KEILAR: And yes, this is something that's -- it's labor-intensive, right? This idea of distribution. It's not a simple task. What more do they need, going forward?
BLUMENSTOCK: Well, our association and others estimate that the resources needed for the duration of this campaign is estimated to be at $8.4 billion. You know, we certainly respectfully disagree with Secretary Azar's assessment that sufficient funding is available, but we do not believe so and nor does the CDC. And the point to be made here is that this is going to be, you know, a
tremendous level of effort. We don't want to basically erode all other essential public health services for this campaign. We need to augment this effort while still providing all the other essential services that the communities need and deserve.
The U.S. government has invested in billions of dollars in vaccine research, development and production. That same level of commitment and effort should be applied to the nation's public health system that's responsible for the last tactical mile, as we say, where the vaccine's going to be allocated, distributed and administered in the communities throughout this country.
KEILAR: Yes, it's -- I mean it's huge, right? The vaccine isn't the answer, vaccination is the answer. And states are a huge part of this. James Blumenstock --
BLUMENSTOCK: Absolutely.
KEILAR: -- thank you so much, thanks for being with us.
BLUMENSTOCK: Thanks -- my pleasure, thanks for the opportunity.
KEILAR: Coming up, early voting is now under way in the battleground state of Wisconsin. We're going to have a closer look at the turnout there.
Plus, the road to 270 electoral votes: an inside look at the path for Biden and Trump and the story behind the numbers.
[14:09:21]
Then later, can lawmakers reach a stimulus deal before the deadline? Find out what's holding up negotiations.
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KEILAR: Under way right now, early voting in the battleground state of Wisconsin. President Trump is looking to win the state for a second time, but coronavirus ripping through Wisconsin could complicate things. Omar Jimenez is on the ground in Milwaukee.
And tell us, Omar, how are the voting lines looking so far?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, the voting lines have shrunk significantly from what we saw at the very start of the day. Of course, this is the first opportunity for people to early vote here in Wisconsin. At one point, the line behind me was two hours long, that's how long it took for people to get up front. Obviously you can see it is much shorter at this point.
They are letting people in around three people at a time, but of course everybody here is wearing masks because, here in Wisconsin, the voters and citizens are having to balance trying to fulfill their civic duty of voting but also trying to be safe in the age of COVID. And we spoke to one voter who told us that it was not only that, but
also the fact that he wanted to make sure his vote was counted and not rely on the doubt he felt was in sending his vote by mail.
[14:15:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDUARDO DE LA TORRE, WISCONSIN EARLY VOTER: I'm a young person, I'm not, you know, immune -- I don't have any immune deficiencies. So if I can, you know, risk myself a little bit, come vote in person to free up some of the mail system and capacity so that older people that, you know, aren't able to do the same or people that are immune compromised can vote by mail, it's kind of like us al doing our part, taking the precautions necessary to keep everybody else safe and making sure that everybody has, you know, the ability to get their voice heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And of course, this is all happening within the backdrop of the pandemic. When you go back to April here in Wisconsin, that's when we had the primaries here and that was really the first test we had seen with an election happening within the backdrop of the pandemic here in Wisconsin.
And they tried to move the election back over fears of coronavirus. And at that time, the positivity rate was under 10 percent, the daily case count was a little over 150. You fast-forward a few months now, that positivity rate here in Wisconsin, over 20 percent, cases in the thousands on those daily counts. And people still feel they need to come out and carry out this civic duty of voting -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right, Omar, thank you for showing us the scene there in Milwaukee.
And with just two weeks until Election Day, nearly 30 million ballots have already been cast. And each day, we're getting a clearer picture of what President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden need to do to get to that magic number, which is 270 electoral votes.
I want to bring in CNN political director David Chalian to take us through this. OK. So, David, let's start with Joe Biden. What is his shortest path to the White House?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. Well let's remember, this is the picture from 2016, this is where we left off at the end of that election. You see all the red across the map, and Donald Trump victorious with 306 electoral votes.
You remember, Brianna, this critical part of the upper Midwest, Rust Belt region -- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin -- all red. Remember, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton very narrowly in those three states.
Now if we look at the current electoral college outlook that we have, look at that same path. They're all leaning blue right now, that upper Midwest, Rust Belt region. Right now -- and this is not a prediction of what's going to be two weeks from now, this is just where things look right now -- those states are leaning in Joe Biden's direction. It's what has him over that 270 threshold, he's at 290 in our current outlook, Donald Trump down at 163.
We also have Arizona tipping his way, but it is this upper Midwest region that is his easiest path, I think, to 270 electoral votes.
KEILAR: And let's pivot to the president. How is his path different than 2016?
CHALIAN: So take a look at this. He's down at 163 in the current outlook right now, right? He did two rallies yesterday in Arizona, right? That's now leaning in Joe Biden's direction, but let's say Donald Trump can win that back, it's a reliably Republican state, only went Democratic in '96, in the last 70 years. Let's say he wins that back.
Look at the yellow on this map, Brianna. What if Donald Trump wins every toss-up? Florida, Georgia, North Carolina. Watch his total go up over there. Ohio, let's say he wins. Let's give him Iowa, and let's give him this second congressional district in Maine, they award their votes by congressional district there.
You get him up to 262, he's still shy of 270. So where does he go? Back to that region up here is probably where he goes to try and flip one of these states. Just one would do it at that point. Pennsylvania would put him over the top, but so would Michigan or Wisconsin at that point.
But that means he's got to run the table of the toss-ups, try and get back Arizona, already leaning in Biden's direction, and win one of those upper Midwest states. But upper Midwest states, which is also right now a Biden strength -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Wow. And also, I think a lot of people are wondering when are we going to know who the next president is if Trump wins re-election or if Biden unseats him? Are we going to find out on Election Night?
CHALIAN: You know, it's a good question. Because so many more Americans are going to be voting by mail this year than we've ever seen before, it's going to take some time, especially in states that don't have a lot of history of a lot of mail votes.
So specifically Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, it may take them a little time, Brianna, to actually count all those paper votes by mail. So I would just urge everyone, pack your patience. Just because it's taking a while to count all the votes doesn't mean anything's necessarily wrong. We may have a result on Election Night. But if it's close, you could imagine it'll be a few days.
KEILAR: Pack your patience, pack your snacks, do all those things.
CHALIAN: Yes.
KEILAR: David Chalian, thank you so much.
CHALIAN: Thanks.
[14:19:47]
KEILAR: Maria Bartiromo was once a reputable business journalist. She was the first reporter to broadcast live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Well, that was then and this is now. And the now, she's using her platform on Fox Business to push baseless smears and conspiracy theories. We'll roll the tape, next.
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KEILAR: Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is elevating a smear against the Biden family without evidence. CNN and other outlets cannot verify the broader report, and U.S. officials are investigating whether it's actually tied to a Russian disinformation effort.
[14:25:01]
The senator's claim has the hallmarks of QAnon, the conspiracy group that believes Democrats and celebrities are blood-drinking Satanic pedophiles. It's being aired and fertilized by Fox. Maria Bartiromo, their high-profile business host, floated it. And it's part of a pattern, as she pushes many other conspiracy theories that can only be described as propaganda.
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TRUMP (via telephone): -- could get it done, and I'd get (INAUDIBLE done.
(CROSSTALK)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: But there was still a coup against you. There was still a coup against you --
TRUMP (via telephone): Everybody --
BARTIROMO: -- do you think the Mueller report, was the Mueller investigation just a cover-up for what they had done?
Do you believe Russia and China were spying and knowing our secrets because of Hillary's unsecured server?
It is the biggest political scandal --
TRUMP: -- and people should be going to jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That so-called biggest political scandal that they've ever seen has since evaporated into what it was all along, nothing.
The Justice Department under Bill Barr -- who we must note has weathered criticism for acting more like the president's personal attorney than an independent law enforcement official -- reportedly found no wrongdoing in the Obama administration unmasking drama. And then there was this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: We now know from these documents that John Ratcliffe unveiled, that it was Hillary Clinton's idea to tie you to Russia in some way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: No, no. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who was following QAnon Twitter accounts when Trump appointed him, released unverified Russian intelligence about Clinton. Key words here? "Unverified" and "Russian."
He wrote, in a letter to the Senate, that the intelligence community, quote, "does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication," end quote.
Bartiromo is also pushing the conspiracy theory about widespread voter fraud.
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BARTIROMO: What are you going to do about it, Mr. President? If they cheated in 2016, they're going to cheat again. How are you going to stop this and ensure that you have the wherewithal to fight back if it's all ballot lies?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: I know I may sound like a broken record here, but President Trump's hand-selected voter fraud commission wrapped up without finding evidence of it. Larger numbers of Americans will choose to vote by mail this year because we're in the middle of a deadly pandemic, and there is no evidence that mail-in voting is more susceptible to voter fraud despite what the president claims.
Bartiromo has also perfected the Fox art of suggesting something to the president to make it his idea. Parents of small children, you will know this trick well but you probably used it to try to get your kids to eat their veggies, not to fire the FBI director.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: Is Christopher Wray hiding all of this stuff and protecting the FBI? Should he step down?
TRUMP (via telephone): That's true.
BARTIROMO: Where is John Durham, Mr. President? Is he -- I mean, where is --
TRUMP (via telephone): I hope he's --
(CROSSTALK)
BARTIROMO: -- John Durham? We know that there was criminality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: There's also the Fox technique of asking the president about something he did wrong by blaming critics for bringing it up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: I want you to answer your critics, because your critics are going really -- getting upset about your event at the White House yesterday, about your rally that you're planning tomorrow.
Address the criticism, Mr. President, the criticism that you removed your mask for a photo op.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Another way to ask the question would be: Why did you violate your own CDC's guidelines and remove your mask for a photo op during a deadly pandemic?
She's acting like the problem isn't that the president hosts superspreader events and doesn't wear a mask when he's COVID-positive, it's that so-called critics point it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: -- but your colleagues in the Senate, Nancy Pelosi in the House and her colleagues are saying that you did not handle COVID correctly while they were actually trying to impeach you. Did the COVID conversation come up at all during the impeachment trial or around that date?
TRUMP (via telephone): No, because we were focused on impeachment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: I see, blame the distraction of impeachment for the government's failed response. Planting the seed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: Even in the face of all of this, you've gotten --
(CROSSALK)
TRUMP (via telephone): Yes?
BARTIROMO: -- so much done, economic policy, foreign policy, naming judges. And in the face of all of this resistance. First, you had the resistance from inside your own government, you had the FBI working with the Hillary Clinton campaign, she paid for the dossier --
TRUMP (via telephone): Right. BARTIROMO: -- they used it to help entrap your campaign. Then you had
the media piling on, then you had an impeachment trial with no crimes, the articles of impeachment were abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Then you had China throw the curveball at you with the virus, Democrat mayors and governors refusing to stop crime and vandalism. This is all your first term.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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