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Nine Days And Counting Until U.S. Presidential Election; The Coronavirus Pandemic Rages on in The U.S. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 25, 2020 - 00:00   ET

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

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: Nine days and counting. U.S. presidential candidates crisscross the country hoping to sway undecided voters, but their messages couldn't be more different. All the while, the coronavirus pandemic rages on in the U.S., in fact, in some of the very states where the rallies are taking place. Also -

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was losing my mind because you cannot trust anyone.

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HOLMES: You cannot trust anyone. Not even your spouse. We'll look at how the pandemic is fueling concerns about domestic violence. And welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Michael Holmes.

Welcome, everyone. We are now nine days away from the U.S. presidential election, and the coronavirus pandemic hangs over every part of it. The spread of the disease explains why more than 83,000 Americans were diagnosed with the coronavirus on Saturday. Only Friday has seen a higher count. Now on the campaign trail, the candidates' approaches could not be more different. Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden campaigning in states where the race is very close. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida. There's the map there. Many of those states also seeing a coronavirus surge while voters are seeing two starkly different views about what it all means.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After the virus hit, we've recovered faster than any major nation on Earth. We've recovered faster economically since April. Since April we've created a record 11.4 million jobs. You are so lucky that I'm president.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we wore these masks over the next few months, we could save 100,000 lives. You know what is really sad about all this? The president knew back at the end of the January how deadly this virus was and he hid it from the country.

(END VIDEOCLIP) HOLMES: Also while Joe Biden is blaming Donald Trump for the severity of the crisis, Mr. Trump is blaming us, the media, CNN in particular. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: And you know what? On November 4, you're not going to hear the news. The CNN all they talk about, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. If a plane goes down with 500 people, they don't talk about. All they talk because they're trying to scare everybody. You have to lead your life and you have to get out. You have to be vigilant. Be careful. Socially distance. Get too close, put the mask on. Put it on. You know, lots of different things.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

HOLMES: Now keep in mind more than 900 people around the U.S. have died of coronavirus in just the past day, nearly double one of the plane crashes the president was talking about. One of the states the president visited on Saturday was Wisconsin, which is being very hard hit by the virus. Now while Wisconsin is traditionally left-leaning, Donald Trump won it in 2016, beating Hillary Clinton but only by less than 1 percent. That's not unusual for Wisconsin. The margin was also less than 1 percent in 2000 and 2004. CNN's Jeremy Diamond was there for Mr. Trump's rally.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well President Trump campaigning once again in the battleground state of Wisconsin. This time the president doing so against a grim backdrop as it relates to coronavirus not only with a surge in cases across the country, a record number of new coronavirus cases on Friday just before the president arrived here, but also here in the state of Wisconsin.

On Friday, Wisconsin experiencing its highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day during this entire pandemic. Hospitalizations, deaths, they're on the rise not only across the country but here in the state of Wisconsin as well.

And what we see here is the president gathering thousands of his supporters once again for an event where they are loosely packed together and most people as usual not wearing masks. The president also continuing to spread misinformation about the virus and downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic, making a false claim as he often does, that if there wasn't so much testing in the United States that -- that there wouldn't be as many cases as there are. But what we know is that the surge of coronavirus cases here in the U.S. is very real. And despite what the president is saying.

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Now the president did highlight the importance of this battleground state as he was campaigning here saying that if he wins the state of Wisconsin he believes he can win the election. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Waukesha, Wisconsin. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Joe Biden got some help Saturday from his ex-boss, Barack Obama in the all important state of Florida. Florida has the most electoral votes of any battleground state and the third most in the nation. Florida has voted for the winning nominee in the 13 of the last 14 elections.

The last Democrat to win the White House without winning Florida was Bill Clinton in 1992. CNN's Arlette Saenz was that Obama event for Biden.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama traveled here to the critical background state of Florida, reminding voters that they helped deliver the White House for him in 2008 and 2012 and asking them to do the same for Joe Biden this time around.

He also predicted that if Biden wins Florida, the election will basically be over as he encouraged volunteers and supporters to keep up their work for the former vice president. And while Obama touted the work and leadership style of his former partner, he also took aim at President Trump, slamming his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and also criticizing President Trump's behavior in office saying that it's not normal.

And President Obama also talked about that upcoming interview President Trump did with 60 minutes. Take a listen to what he had to say.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF U.S.: When "60 Minutes" and Lesley Stahl are too tough for you, you ain't all that tough. You -- if you got to walk out of a "60 Minutes" interview, then you're never going to stand up to a dictator.

And if you're spending all your time complaining about how mean reporters are to you, you're not going to stand up to Putin.

SAENZ: While President Obama was here in Florida, Joe Biden campaigns in Pennsylvania holding a drive in rally with musical artist, Jon Bon Jovi. That event took place in Luzerne County. A county that President Obama and Joe Biden won back in 2008 and 2012 but a county that President Trump flipped in 2016.

Biden trying to make a play for those Obama/Trump counties as the election nears. And Both Obama and Biden had a message when it came to early voting. They have reached that point in the campaign where the Biden campaign is really focusing on turn out as the election is now just nine days away.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, North Miami, Florida.

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HOLMES: And one health expert is warning the U.S. could soon see daily cases in the six digits. Now as we mentioned a moment ago, the U.S. reported more than 83,000 new cases for the second day in a row on Saturday. That's according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. So far, more than 8.5 million total U.S. cases have been reported at least.

And more than 224,000 lives have been lost. Health officials say this surge follows the reopening of schools and universities and is being driven by small gatherings, often family events that are increasingly moving in doors as the weather in the northern hemisphere gets colder.

A White House coronavirus task force report warned several regions in the U.S. are showing signs of deterioration with the virus surging. Let's take a closer look at the situation in one of the hot spots in the U.S. Midwest. Indiana is one of at least six states that hit a record high number of daily cases this week.

More state leaders say hospitalizations are up. And so too (ph) deaths from the virus. Dr. Stephen Sample is an emergency physician at Memorial Hospital and Healthcare Center in Jasper, Indiana and joins us now.

Good to see you, doctor. I'm just curious, first of all, what goes through your mind when you hear the president say we're turning the corner, we're rounding the curve, it's going away. When you see what you see, what do they -- what do you make of those words?

STEPHEN SAMPLE, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN: Well, hi. Thanks for having me on tonight. I think we are turning a corner but it's sort of a corner that looks a lot like this. I don't think we're turning a corner in anyway the president is trying to infer that we're turning a corner. We're going the wrong direction for sure.

HOLMES: Does that -- does it make you angry when he says that and you're there in the ER saying the numbers tick back up?

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SAMPLE: Yes, absolutely. For us in the Midwest, a lot of us are really experiencing our first wave. So when he suggest that we are turning a corner it makes me -- it makes me a little bit ragey (ph) inside because, you know, here in the heartland, a lot of people listen to

him and they take his cues and that's not going to be terribly helpful come -- as this winter closes in and the flu season arises and all that. So yes, I've spent the last eight months in a near state of rage all the time.

HOLMES: Yes, and in fact, back in April, I was reading where you said that this feels scarier to me and more uncertain that it did when I was in Iraq and Afghanistan, where you also -- your services were gratefully received by -- by servicemen and women. That was back in April that you said that. Now we're nearing the end of October. Do you still feel that way?

SAMPLE: Well, it's a little different. So back in April, in my county, in my state, really we had very little coronavirus, so it was really more the anticipation of what was yet to come. You know early on, we watching northern Italy burn, we watched New York burn, we watched Seattle burn, and we sat here in the middle of the country and just watched. It didn't really feel real and it was very -- it was really dreadful.

We just didn't know when it was going to hit. But now we're laying our hands on coronavirus every single day, every day of the week. Our hospital admissions are up, our emergency department visits are up, so it has become part of my day. So it's really hard to maintain that vigilance for long periods of time, so I guess I don't have that -- that existential dread all the time, but it's stressful.

HOLMES: And I know you are ER, so you're frontline and I don't know if you're dealing with end of life situations. But we hear these stories, I can't imagine what it would be like to hold up a phone to a dying person so their family could via FaceTime say goodbye. Is there any way to convey what that's like, because I think a lot of people are getting numb to what's going on?

SAMPLE: Right. You know for me, myself personally, that is something thank god that I haven't had to deal with. The kind of the natural history of the coronavirus is that after you get infected, it takes -- we're seeing people on average, from seven to 10 days when they take their turn to the worse.

But then after they turn and we stabilize them in the emergency department, you know oftentimes it's another week or 2 weeks -- if we get death, it's going to be way down the road. So really, the people who are really dealing with that are warriors up in the ICU, our critical care docs and the critical care nurses. I am glad I have not had to be in that position. I pray that I don't have to be.

HOLMES: You know, the numbers are just so staggering. Of course a record broken this weekend. But they can become meaningless in a way when not attached to a face. Is that how you feel, that the people, the families, those who have died or kind of lost in the noise of politics?

SAMPLE: Absolutely. I think the world we're living in right now, nobody believes anything that the other side has to say. So we're watching the ticker -- I, can't see right now, but I bet that there's a ticker right in my screen showing those numbers. It is so easy to forget that when we're fighting about this policy or that policy or if I'm screening for the 7 millionth time that masks work, that there are real human beings attached to those numbers. And I think it is a nation we're getting very numb to it. I do.

HOLMES: Do you fear what's to come? Where you are and also what you see happening around the country? Do you worry about what is to come and do you feel ready?

SAMPLE: I'll tell you, I'm as ready as I can be. Do I fear what is to come? Absolutely. You know, we're seeing these widespread spikes everywhere, really. I'm in a small hospital, about an hour or so from my nearest big huge academic facility and I depend on those hospitals not to be full when my very, very sickest need to go there. But as we all start to spill and the flu comes and people continue to

have this pandemic fatigue, that you have, I have, everybody has -- I'm really fearful of those numbers starting to go up and up and us not having any place to put people. And when that happens, we know that access mortality happens, more people die, and more people get, and there's just problems all over. Yes I'm worried, I'm kind of a pessimist lately, but I worry, sure.

HOLMES: I don't think you're alone in that. Dr. Stephen Sample, thanks for what you do, really appreciate it.

SAMPLE: And to you, thank you.

HOLMES: Now Europe is getting ready for its second coronavirus wave to get worse as if it wasn't already bad enough. Many fear cases will continue to go up all winter. Some European leaders have tested positive for COVID-19, including Poland's president. Scott McLean with that.

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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Across the continent European countries Europe is throwing restrictions, curfews and even lockdowns of the coronavirus, hoping that something will work. So far though, the numbers continue to rise. Germany, Italy and France are among the many European countries which reported record new daily case counts this week.

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Things though are worst by far in Belgium, which now has it's deputy prime minister under constant monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit and in the Czech Republic, which already have the highest infection rate of any major country on Earth and it has now just reported another record daily case count.

The healthcare system there is just weeks away from being entirely overwhelmed and now the health minister is refusing to resign after being accused of breaking his own coronavirus rules. The prime minister is vowing to replace him anyways, which would mean a third check health minister in less than six weeks, all at the height of the worst outbreak anywhere on Earth.

Meanwhile in Poland, next door, the president there has just tested positive for the coronavirus. High profile politicians in the Czech Republic and Germany have also tested positive over the past week.

Scott McLean, CNN Berlin.

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HOLMES: Now a few months ago, Russia approved a coronavirus vaccine without having done Phase 3 trials. Well, now the vaccines major developer admits it's not safe for everyone yet.

Our exclusive interview, coming up, after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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HOLMES: Welcome back.

Even if there were a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, only half of Americans say they would take it, and that, of course, is a problem.

The Director of the National Institute of Health says the virus, quote, could be here for years, if only half of the U.S. takes the vaccine.

Now, dozens of pharmaceutical companies around the world are racing to find a vaccine that can slow the spread of the virus. Nine are in the U.S., 12 in china, Russia has two, including the controversial Sputnik V that was registered for public use.

Now Russia has been bragging about the speed at which it developed that coronavirus vaccine but in an exclusive interview with CNN, the vaccine's main developer admits, that it's actually not recommended for some of those most at risk from COVID-19.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen explains why.

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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As Russia deals with a major spike in new coronavirus infections, despite having already approved two vaccines for emergency use, the head of the Gamaleya Institute, in charge of the development of the most prominent vaccine Sputnik V, tells us it could take up to a year for the majority of Russians to get shots, as production sites are still in the process of going online.

ALEXANDER GINTSBURG, GAMALEYA INSTITUTE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The planned capacity of these four sites, by the next year, should reach about 5 million doses per month, which will allow 70% of our population to be vaccinated, with this vaccine, within 9, 10, to a maximum of 12 months.

PLEITGEN: Russia certified the Sputnik V vaccine with great fanfare in August, after testing it in only a few dozen people. The move hailed as a major PR victory for Vladimir Putin, as Russia claims to be outpacing western pharma firms.

But, in current large Phase 3 trials, Sputnik V is lagging well behind western vaccine candidates. Sputnik V's makers telling CNN, only around 6,000 participants have so far received the two doses necessary to achieve complete immunization and start collecting data. Compared to almost 30,000 in some large western trials.

All of this, as Russian State TV is trashing the U.K.'s vaccine candidate, calling it, quote, a monkey vaccine. Despite the fact that Russia itself has made a deal to produce this very vaccine under license.

The head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund, which is bankrolling Sputnik V, claiming Moscow's vaccine is superior, because it uses so- called human idento (ph) virus technology.

KIRILL DMITRIEV, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: So would you say (INAUDIBLE) something already existing, something already safe, something already proven, and many people in the west -- on the west, failed to think about this.

PLEITGEN: But even though Sputnik vaccine's instructions say it's only indicated for people 18 to 60, and not for people with some allergies and illnesses, leaving out older age groups and people with health conditions. Some of the most vulnerable to severe cases of COVID-19.

The head of the Gamaleya Institute told CNN, the vaccine simply hasn't been tested in older people, but he believes the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions could still take it.

GINTSBURG (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): With many chronic diseases, in particular, people with diabetes, it is not just that it is carried out; it is prescribed to vaccinate people, because these are risk groups that need to be protected. These people, people with cardiac diseases, these are all chronic diseases, as we know. You need to vaccinate.

PLEITGEN: Russia says it will soon ramp up production of Sputnik V to vaccinate more medical workers and other high-risk groups, a move Konstantin Chumakov, a top vaccine expert at the Global Virus Network, called dangerously risky.

KONSTANTIN CHUMAKOV, GLOBAL VIRUS NETWORK: I think that there is a reason why they call it Russian roulette. This is exactly it.

PLEITGEN: One Russian who isn't taking the Sputnik V vaccine so far is the president, Vladimir Putin. His spokesman telling CNN, Putin is, quote, thinking about it.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now Asian-Americans contract COVID-19 at about the same rate as white Americans, that's according to the CDC. But yet, they're also dealing with another blow from the pandemic, a soaring unemployment rate. One that went from the lowest in the country to one of the highest.

CNN's Amara Walker, with the details.

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AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lunchtime at this Chinese restaurant is typically a busy hour. That was before the pandemic. Now, at Canton House in Atlanta, it's mostly empty tables and an unusually quiet dining room. CAM VUONG, RESTAURANT OWNER: My God, the businesses dropped 98%.

WALKER: The restaurant industry was among the hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic. But owner Cam Vuong is facing a struggle unique to Asian Americans; a double whammy of historic unemployment and discrimination.

VUONG: At the time we close we do have a window was broken and with a hammer without any reason whatsoever. At that time, we - at that time, we really think that's racism.

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WALKER: As COVID-19 has spread, so has the racism and xenophobia. Members of the United Nation's Committee on Discrimination recently expressed concern over an alarming level of racially motivated incidents against Asian Americans, saying President Trump's rhetoric seems to play a role in legitimizing the hate crimes. 60-year-old Vuong reopened his dining room in May. Business is still down 50 percent. He wonders if discrimination is slowing down recovery.

VUONG: When we - when we first opening, I do have a feeling that the people say don't go to Chinese restaurants.

MARLENE KIM, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS: People were avoiding Asian businesses because they thought they would get the coronavirus from these businesses.

WALKER: An economics professor at the University of Massachusetts says COVID-19 has taken a heavy economic toll on Asian Americans. According to government statistics from February to June, Asian American unemployment rates increased by more than 450 percent.

KIM: Asians typically have among the lowest unemployment rates, and its really shot up during COVID.

WALKER: A visit to Atlantis Chinatown underscores the struggle. This gift shop is closing at the end of the month. Other businesses here tell us they are just trying to survive, yet Kim says few are taking notice.

KIM: I think it's been overlooked because people don't think that Asians have problems. People think of Asians as a model (ph) minority.

VUONG: No, we are just not just fine. We are struggling.

WALKER: But Vuong, who came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam, remains hopeful. He says he's been living the American dream for 40 years and hopes of 40 more.

VUONG: We have a dream to get to business, to have a house, to have a stable life, peaceful life, have a family, and then raise our kids, but hopefully our dream not broken because of this COVID-19.

WALKER: Vuong tells me that he just started breaking even, so he's got quite a ways to go still. He's concerned about a second wave of COVID-19 hurting his business, but he says he's the most concerned about the outcome of the presidential election and whether that will inflame racial tensions. Back to you.

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HOLMES: Amara Walker, thanks. Now we're going to take a quick break. When we come back on CNN Newsroom millions of Americans aren't waiting until November the 3 to vote. They are out now making their voices heard. And they're telling us why this year's election is so important. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom, I'm Michael Holmes.

More than 52 million Americans have cast early ballots so far. Now CNN reporting from polling places right across the country asking people why they're so motivated this year.

Paul Vercammenn is in Los Angeles, but let's start here in Georgia with Natasha Chen.

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NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as of noon on Saturday more than 2.6 million votes have been cast in the state of Georgia and when you look at both the in-person early voting along with the absentee ballots that have been cast, that's 114 percent increase over the same point in the 2016 election.

We've been seeing tremendous enthusiasm and energy even in the rain as people continue to wait to cast their votes. Now, we have talked to a number of people in line who represent the changing demographics in Georgia, a younger, more diverse group that is adjoining the voter rolls. We met this one couple in Atlanta who said that they are considering some very important issues as they cast their ballots this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think it's about the character of this country about who we vote for. So, I -- I think -- I just want my voice heard on that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and I think also having a young daughter, we're often setting up the world for her and I think our vote now speaks even more than it did as, you know, single people that it's not just for, you know, right now, it's for the future.

CHEN: Over the past 20 years there's been a significant increase in the percentage of African-American voters make the electorate here in Georgia. And according to a recent study by Pew Research, Georgia also has the largest growth of any state in the country of eligible immigrant voters. In fact, we met a voter here who was recently naturalized and excited

about participating in her first U.S. election. Something else that's changed electorate Georgia in 2016 started automatically registering people to vote when they got their driver licenses, so a lot of young people joining the voter roles.

Natasha Chen, CNN, Marietta, Georgia.

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PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, one of the places where the early voting began in person, a specialized location in Los Angeles County, Staples Center. Of course, this is also home to the Lakers, the Sparks and the Kings, along with AEG.

They put on this event, lines long in the morning and the people here came in and cast those ballots in person, many of them were Laker fans and they sort of headed the urging of Lebron James, the team star, who had said from the NBA bubble, we need to get more people, especially African-Americans out and voting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reason why is because, number one, this is Staples Center, home of the Lakers. Number two, I want to make a difference, cast out my vote and in a better place than the Staples Center.

VERCAMMEN: We did a little exit polling here, of course, California is a blue state and here in the center of Los Angeles, we met one woman who echoed the sentiments of many who said she was voting for Joe Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, because I felt that was the best choice to vote for today. And if anybody could vote, I urge you to vote your heart, but I just felt better about voting for a Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, because I felt that the country needs to come together and they'll be the best priority (ph) for the -- to bring the country together.

VERCAMMEN: And in Los Angeles County so far 1.3 million votes have been cast early and overall for the state a little over 6 million votes cast. Reporting from Staples Center I'm Paul Vercammen, now back to you.

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HOLMES: U.S. national security experts, warning for a while, that the presidential election will be a target for countries like Russia, Iran, and China. But, one possible threat to voters comes from a source much closer to home. CNN's Pamela Brown, explains.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New concerns about possible voter intimidation. After the Trump campaign film voters at a Philadelphia polling station, the campaign claims it found almost 3 people dropping off more than one ballot each. What Trump team's attorney believes, is just the tip of the iceberg, and what could unconstitutional awful absentee voting. But voters are allowed to drop off balance for people who are disabled, and state officials warn, the videos may be interpreted as intimidation.

KATHY BOOCKVAR, PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Vote intimidation is illegal under state, and federal law, and videotaping, you taking pictures of you, without your consent, is part of that.

BROWN: Which the Trump campaign calls it categorically absurd. On election interference, intelligence officials confirm Russian hackers have stolen election data. But it's unclear how the information will be used. Officials say, Iran used voter information to send threatening information that came to light this week.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Iran, and Russia, have taken specific actions to influence public opinion, relating to our elections.

BROWN: The federal government issued two new cybersecurity alerts, warning that state and local governments were targeted. But officials say election infrastructure has not been compromised. The intelligence community, generally agreeing, that Russians interfered 4 years ago, to help Trump win. Despite that, president trump slammed the assessment, again.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: They both want you to lose because there's been nobody tougher than Russia, with -- between the sanctions -- nobody tougher than me, on Russia.

BROWN: Intelligence experts agree, stopping Russia should be the priority.

JAMES CLAPPER NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Russia has been interfering in the run up to our election already and for my part, at least, it is a far more serious threat than Iran.

BROWN: More than 50 million Americans have already turned in their ballots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would rather have it done, and over, with and do it early, that we are no I voted.

BROWN: And more than half of those votes come from CNN's 16 most competitive states. And one of the fiercest battlegrounds North Carolina, over 2 and a half million ballots have been cast. That is more than half of the total turnout in 2016.

We are learning more about 2020 is first election Ransomware attack, happening in Georgia, and in one Georgia County, officials there said that the hack affected voter signature database, and precinct maps. They do not believe it affected election infrastructure. And security experts say is more about profit, than politics. But, they are concerned about these Ransomware attacks as we get closer to Election Day, because they can cause chaos, and confusion. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem is joining me now from Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is also former assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Always good to see you my friend, thank you so much. I want to get your sense of when you look at the disinformation, and the meddling landscape in 2020, what do you see, where worries you most?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: OK, so we're seeing plenty of activity, so I think the first headline is that very little we did changed the desire, in particular of Russia, to be engaged, let's say, in our elections. That is -- can be directly attributed to what we've seen happen over the last four years, which is the president really not taking on Russia. We've now seen other players enter this game, so to speak.

We have heard about the Iranians, the North Koreans, possibly the Chinese, which have all been identified by the intelligence community. But, no one sort of stands out more than Russia. And as you say in the question, there is -- you have the sort of election -- sort of news, fake news, trying to promote fake news that we see in Russia and other countries do. But then you have attempts at election infiltration, and that clearly is attributed to the Russians trying to get into state and local systems, look around voting rules, things like that.

HOLMES: And to that point, I mean, Donald Trump and his administration -- or those he's appointed in the intelligence committee, they've been trying to shift the spotlight to Iranian meddling and let's not worry about Russia. Do you think that's just deflection away from Russia?

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KAYYEM: I do. And I think it gives Russia sort of more power, at least more leeway, sort of greasing the runway to do more when we fail to acknowledge that Russia's story (ph) stands different than the other countries.

It may very well be that the Iranians, the North Koreans, or the Chinese essentially want to do disruptions for the sake of sort of messing with our minds. Although, for all we know, they do want Trump to remain president.

But what the Intelligence community has said, so I'm just quoting them, is that the Russians directly want Donald Trump to win. He is their guy and we have debated for four years why that is the case. But he is definitely their focus and trying to support his campaign.

And so by muting the message, at least the head of the ODNI, Radcliffe -- excuse me, the Director of National Intelligence Radcliffe -- by muting the message it gives leeway to Russia to continue what its' doing. I will say the good news is that you see people like FBI Director Wray, some of the cyber security experts out of the Department of Homeland Security really honing in on Russia specifically.

So there are still are voices that are focused on the immediate threat.

HOLMES: And -- and when Donald Trump says he -- he's been the toughest person on Russia ever and that Russia and Iran and China for that matter all want Joe Biden to win. I mean when -- when it comes to Russia, are either of those things true?

KAYYEM: One word, Helsinki. Absolutely not true. I mean, you know, everyone remembers in standing next to Putin in Helsinki, essentially buying his line. That has been true throughout his presidency.

And again, we -- we don't have the direct knowledge of why -- why the president seems so keen on appeasing Putin at this stage. But there's no -- no rational person would look at either our -- our actions or what the president has said and said that he is tough on Russia by any stretch of the imagination.

And I think the proof actually is in the pudding. If he had been tough on Russia, why would Russia continue in its engagement in our elections as it did in 2016, undeterred by any actions on our part; sanctions, shaming, direct conversations by the president. They have not been thwarted. So I think that's proof that he hasn't been tough.

HOLMES: Julia Kayyem, always a pleasure to have you on the program and get your thoughts. Thanks so much.

KAYYEM: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: Quick break here on the program. When we come back on CNN Newsroom, COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions have sparked a worldwide explosion of domestic abuse cases. Just ahead, some victims share their harrowing stories. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: Around the world there has been a rise in domestic abuse since the start of the coronavirus pandemic with lockdowns and restrictions. Some victims of domestic abuse have had nowhere to turn. Staying home with their abuser, of course, has its own dangers. Isa Soares has some of their stories.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love this man more than anything, and I left everything for him.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Away from her home in Morocco and beguiled by her new husband.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He make me fall in love with him slowly.

SOARES: This 32-year-old woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, tells me her partner became a different man mid-pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to me you have to bring $4,000 a month.

SOARES: With the economy in a deep recession and a frustrated husband unable to work his usual job as a taxi driver, she says her life became his to control.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He hit me too many time, and the last time he gave me two slaps that he damaged my face. I was losing my mind because you cannot trust anyone. And the person you give him all your life, he did these things. From here life is finished.

SOARES: She's one of seven other women at this Iranian-Kurdish Women's Refuge who left home during the pandemic with many more waiting for a room and a guiding hand. The manager here tells me COVID-19 has proven to be the perfect storm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were intensely living together with the perpetrators. There was no time for them to breathe, no time to see friends, relatives go out. Perpetrators have used their conceived control more authoritarian way.

SOARES: According to Women's Aid April survey, 78 percent of women living with abusers felt they cannot leave or get away because of the pandemic. Those that do escape face further anxieties with a backlog in a criminal justice system and limited access to support services or safe havens.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything's definitely taking longer, more uncertainty, more insecurity.

SOARES: This 40-year-old Iranian only recently managed to escape her husband of four years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When life was very difficult for me with my husband, one time I tried to leave but didn't manage.

SOARES: Not even an attempted suicide that left her in the hospital cleared her path. She did eventually escape just days ago and now tells me the pandemic only made it worse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we were arguing with each other, we couldn't take time apart, one of us couldn't leave for a few days.

SOARES: He was violent to you? Was he also - did he also sexually abuse you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I can't talk about it more because right now I'm seeing a therapist.

SOARES: Did the pandemic reveal the real man?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SOARES: Harrowing tales of intimate terrorism at an uncertain time of heightened isolation. Isa Soares, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well if you know or - someone - or you - if you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, you can get help at endvawnow.org. That's endvawnow.org.

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HOLMES: Now this was a chaotic scene on Saturday in Bukuru in Nigeria. Nigeria's Chief of Police has deployed the country's entire police force to stop looting and destruction and protests as well. The police chief says enough is enough, that angry demonstrators have shown no signs of easing up on their protests against police brutality.

For weeks now there have been wide spread protests against that brutality and corruption. Nigeria's president says many lives have been lost. There are curfews across the nation a president calling for calm. CNN's Nima Elbagir with the latest.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Broken glass and debris on the streets of Lagos shattered reminisce of protests in Nigeria over police brutality that quickly turned from peaceful to deadly.

There is a tense calm in the city now. But on Tuesday night the city erupted into chaos after eye witnesses say multiple protestors were shot and killed by army soldiers. The army has dismissed reports of the incident as fake news. The shootings set off a wave of anger across the country.

Many shops and businesses have been burned or damaged and there is wide spread looting in the worst unrest in the country since its return to civilian rule in 1999. It is one of the biggest political challenges so far for the country's President Muhammadu Buhari. On Thursday he addressed the nation appealing for calm.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.

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ELBAGIR: But critics say he waited too long to make a public statement and didn't even address the events on Tuedsay, which has further angered many Nigerians.

NORA BASSEY, NIGERIAN CITIZEN: People died, people lost their loved ones and he didn't mention anything about it.

NELSON UKPONG, NIGERIAN CITIZEN: The speech was baseless, hopeless.

ELBAGIR: The State Governor spoke to CNN and said he is committed to a full investigation of what happened and people will be held accountable, but also says demonstrators should have left when they were told, as s curfew was in affect.

BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU, LAGOS STATE GOVERNOR: The protesters had the time to also -- to have left, you know, they -- they -- they -- the side we're talking about, but it's totally condemnable.

ELBAGIR: The protest began more than two weeks ago and have been largely driven by young people in Nigeria, organizing on social media under the hashtag ENDSARS who initially called for a police unit known as the special anti-robbery squad to be desponded because of allegations of kidnapping, harassment and extortion.

Under intense pressure the government agreed to dissolve the unit and redeploy offices to a different team. But, the movement continued, widening to include economic reforms and more protections against the police.

The voices raised here in a call for justice have found willing echoes around the world gaining international attention from celebrities like Beyonce and Rihanna, placing a spotlight on shootings that have yet to be fully explained and the growing discontent from the country's youth.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes, thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'll be back in an hour with more of CNN Newsroom. Meanwhile, stick around for Living Golf, that's up next.

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