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GA Pushes Vaccinations As Cases Spike; Lollapalooza To Require Masks In Any Indoor Spaces; Senate Working This Weekend To Finalize Infrastructure Bill; Federal Eviction Moratorium Due To Expire At Midnight Tonight; Biden: COVID Restrictions "In All Likelihood" Coming Back; Many Americans Lamenting Not Getting Vaccinated Sooner; Nine Million People Under Flash Flood Watches Nationwide. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired July 31, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:21]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me today.

I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with the U.S. entering a new phase of the coronavirus pandemic as the delta variant spreads like wildfire across the country.

Now vaccinations remain the key tool in preventing infections, hospitalization and death. And those vaccinations are clearly on the rise today even in some of the least vaccinated states. But the vaccination numbers aren't high number yet to prevent the variant from spreading.

Every state now reporting more coronavirus cases over the previous week. This as we are learning more about the delta variant. The CDC making what it calls a pivotal discovery, saying a new study shows the variant produces similar amounts of virus in vaccinated and unvaccinated people if they get infected. And that prompted new mask guidelines this week, even for the vaccinated.

Several major cities have already put new mask mandates in place. Today Washington, D.C. joining that growing list.

But we begin our coverage in Georgia. Cases there have exploded in recent days and health officials say in the last two weeks alone, new cases have risen over 200 percent.

CNN's Natasha Chen is at a vaccination drive in the Atlanta area.

And Natasha, obviously, there is a big push to get more people vaccinated right now. What are you seeing today? What are you hearing from people who are showing up to get vaccinated?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Jessica, it's clear that incentives actually work because this is the largest number of people Dekalb County has seen at recent vaccination events in the last month or so. And that is partially because people are wanting the debit cards that are being given out -- $50 debit cards for each person who gets a shot today. The first person in line that we talked to said he definitely came because of that.

Just now, they told us they reached 200 people vaccinated since this event started at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. We did also talk to some families who brought their young kids here. Of course, you have to be 12 or older to get the vaccine. But school is starting in this area next week.

Here's one parent who talked about what it's like sending children to school right now as cases keep rising.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANIE WATTS, PARENT: In life, there's going to be ups and downs. Sometimes you're going to have to take risks. Sometimes you're not. And right now, by going back to school, it's a risk. But I also want them to have their education.

I'm scared. I'm not going to tell no lie, I am scared. But --

CHEN: They're going to wear masks.

WATTS: -- they're going to wear masks. I'm trying to get them as protected as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And she did also say that that gift card being handed out today is also helpful to cover the costs of school supplies and such.

So while the case numbers are rising in Georgia here, we're also seeing vaccination rates are picking up, as well. That's the other good news here.

The seven-day average of vaccine doses administered is up 85 percent since three weeks ago. So there is a concerted effort to push that message out there, that that is the best defense that we have against this virus, especially as the delta variant keeps spreading, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, no question about that, Natasha. Vaccines remain our way out of this. Thanks so much for that update from Georgia.

Meanwhile in Chicago, the show is still going on despite rising health concerns. Gates will soon open for day three of the Lollapalooza Music Festival and organizers are expecting another capacity crowd just like we saw Friday. They've also put in new requirements for festival goers.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Chicago outside Grant Park where that festival will begin soon.

So Omar, tell us a little bit about these precautions that are being put in place. There are so many people in attendance there. OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica. I mean over the course

of these days, we will see hundreds of thousands of people pour through these gates just here to my right.

Now, some of the mitigation strategies that are in place, as you see people waiting for the gates to open in just about an hour or so now. To get in, you have to show proof of a negative COVID test within the last 72 hours. You have to show -- or you could show a proof of full vaccination status if you have it.

But the new addition today is that everyone in indoor spaces within the festival has to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.

[11:04:52]

JIMENEZ: And that is specifically tied to the rate of spread of COVID- 19. We've seen here in the Chicago area, much like in places across the country, a rise in cases.

Now to give you context, last month the positivity rate here in Chicago was 0.4 percent. Two weeks ago, it was 1 percent. Now, it's a little over 3 percent. While that doesn't seem high, it's not the direction officials want to see things headed.

And significantly, we're now over 200 cases a day. And the reason that is significant is because that's the threshold Mayor Lori Lightfoot here said she would start to consider reinstating mask mandates. A little bit of deja vu because these decision points were things that many of us thought we were past as vaccines began to spread across the country. Nevertheless, we are here.

Lollapalooza is still expected to go ahead at full capacity as it's been the past few days. And they hope that by the end of this four-day stretch, they're remembered just for the music and not as a super spreader event, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Omar Jimenez for us in Chicago. Thanks so much for that update.

And more now on that newly published data from the CDC that reinforces the urgent need to get shots in arms as this delta variant just surges across the nation.

That research confirming the delta variant spreads much easier than earlier strains. And although the spread is being driven by the unvaccinated. And that is key here, the unvaccinated continue to drive this spread, even people who are vaccinated can be contagious.

Still, vaccinations remain the best tool to defeat the pandemic. And masks can also go a long way toward containing the virus, as well.

And joining me now to discuss all of this, Dr. Mike Saag, an infectious disease expert, the associate dean of Global Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Doctor, great to have you. There's a lot of new information and, I think importantly, a lot of nuance here. You really kind of have to sift through all of it.

Help us do that. Translate for us, what do we know now about COVID and the delta variant that we didn't know before?

DR. MICHAEL SAAG, ASSOCIATE DEAN-GLOBAL HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA- BIRMINGHAM: Well, Jessica, I think it's simple in one phrase. Delta is different. And it's a much more infectious virus. It's a virus that gets to high levels in people that are infected and goes out into the environment, making it more transmissible.

It's also quicker in terms of its disease cause. In other words, we call it virulence. But its ability to cause diseases happens a little faster and what's really (INAUDIBLE) being infected.

More (INAUDIBLE) with symptomatic infection and going into our children's hospital, some of them going into the ICU.

So that's what's different about delta. And it's quite a shock to all of us who feel like we're going through whiplash right now because we were heading out of this. Boom, we're right back in it again.

DEAN: Right. Delta is different.

And in this report, we heard that phrase, "viral load". It's something we've talked about. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said yesterday high viral load suggests an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that unlike with other variants vaccinated people infected with delta can transmit the virus.

Dr. Saag, walk us through this though because what is important here is that vaccinated people still have a very, very, very low chance of getting infected. This is still an unvaccinated group that is driving the delta variant.

But help us understand what that all means in terms of the vaccinated individual up against delta versus an unvaccinated individual.

DR. SAAG: Sure. Let's first describe what viral load is. What that means is it's the amount of virus that's been generated inside the nasopharynx, inside the nose and airway. And so when that level is higher, that just naturally means that more is coming out into the world around us.

But it also means that it is more of a challenge for the body to manage which is why people get sicker quicker.

Those who are vaccinated, however, what this new data show is that, yes, they are going to spew out -- for lack of a better word -- virus into the environment around them to roughly the same amount.

Their immune system, having been primed by the vaccine, is able to fight off the virus and its ability to cause disease.

So you put it together -- the virus, delta virus is much more infectious. For those who are unvaccinated, it is more deadly. For those who are vaccinated, they're protected. So we all need to get vaccinated.

DEAN: So important. And the new data on this variant is based on an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts. And there 469 people were infected and 74 percent of that number had been fully vaccinated.

But the takeaway is that only a small number of those people had been hospitalized, and there were no deaths. Dr. Saag, does this say that vaccines work? I mean now they're kind of going back to life there where they had had this outbreak where if they had been unvaccinated, we could have seen a number of deaths, it sounds like.

[11:09:55]

DR. SAAG: There's no question about it. It goes back to the last comment where those people who are vaccinated were spreading it to others, but those people who are vaccinated were not getting sick because their immune system was primed. And that's kind of the key takeaway.

Another subtle point here that I think is really worth point out, we should celebrate the CDC. They've been taking a lot of heat for seemingly going in jarringly different directions, but they're doing their job.

They follow the data. And the data from Provincetown has told them, wait a minute, we thought that this wasn't transmissible from vaccinated people to other vaccinated people. These data are telling us something very different and appropriately, they've responded.

For people just kind of on the surface watching this, they go, well, they're pivoting, they're flip-flopping. No, what they're doing is following the data, and they're trying to keep us safe.

DEAN: Right. I mean, because the coronavirus, COVID-19 is changing. And that is very evident here. And the science changes as it mutates.

I want to talk before I let you go about your home state of Alabama. It remains one of the least vaccinated states in the country. and according to the latest data from the CDC, that's what they say that it is one of the least vaccinated states.

You wrote a piece in "The Washington Post" this week saying, quote, "This time around, Alabama is facing a two-front war. And this is inducing a kind of pre-traumatic stress for health care workers."

Tell me a little bit about that. Explain how traumatic this is and how concerned you are about what lies ahead in your state.

DR. SAAG: Right. So the two-front war analogy was basically we're fighting the virus with everything we have. But on the other side, we have a lot of activity on social media, spewing hate and disinformation that's making our job a whole lot more difficult because those unvaccinated people are locking in on that message and sort of fighting the public health messaging.

Our governor has gotten behind us. She's telling people to get vaccinated, unlike what we're seeing in Florida where Governor DeSantis is putting mandates off the limits, which is in my view, irresponsible because we need all the tools in our toolbox to fight this infection.

But as far as a pre-traumatic stress that I'm talking about, all of the health care workers that I work with, including myself, have been through this. I feel like we're servicemen and women going back into our third tour of duty. And anyone who served in the military who did that (INAUDIBLE) that stress and that anxiety of we know what's coming, let's brace ourselves.

We're having to redo how our hospitals operate. We're having to gear up again after taking away all the extra units, the ventilators, et cetera.

We're bringing them back because of the lack of vaccination in our area. We're seeing a spike, not a surge, a spike in cases that's going to peak around Labor Day and could be, based on projections, two to three times higher than what we saw at the worst time in January.

So we're kind of concerned about that. That's an understatement.

DEAN: That is understandable. We are grateful to all the doctors and health care workers and nurses out there who are suiting up yet again to take care of people.

Dr. Michael Saag, thanks for being with us today. We sure do appreciate it.

DR. SAAG: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Coming up, the FDA is vowing an all-hands-on-deck approach to get the COVID vaccines fully approved as soon as possible. We're going to tell you how they're doing that.

Plus just moments ago, the Senate gaveled back into session as President Biden's infrastructure plan takes center stage. Find out what is preventing lawmakers from making further progress on the bill.

And then later, Simone Biles withdraws from two finals at the Olympics as swimmer Katie Ledecky wins another gold. We're going to have all the highlights from Tokyo.

[11:13:41]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Just minutes ago, the Senate gaveled in trying to iron out the final details on a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had warned his colleagues they'd be working the weekend and that's precisely what they're doing now as they look to get this landmark bill over the finish line.

Congressional reporter Daniella Diaz is following it all on Capitol Hill. Daniella, where do things stand right now? DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Jess, right now we're in a

holding pattern. You know, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to speak on the Senate floor any moment now and update us, anyone tuning in right now this Saturday morning, on what's going on with the bipartisan infrastructure proposal.

The biggest issue that is stalling these negotiations, this passage in the Senate, is the fact that they have not been able to finalize the text for this legislation just yet.

You know as of yesterday, the text was not finalized, so as a result they cannot actually proceed with anything in the Senate unless that text is done. So that is what we are waiting for right now.

But look, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer yesterday was incredibly hopeful that once things proceed and that text is done, they will be able to move forward with this. He said that because this is a bipartisan package, they have the votes for this to pass.

Take a listen while we wait right now for him, what he said yesterday about this legislation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Given the bipartisan nature of the bill, the Senate should be able to process this legislation rather quickly. We may need the weekend.

We may vote on several amendments. But with the cooperation of our Republican colleagues, I believe we can finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill in a matter of days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAZ: You know, I want to talk a little bit about what is actually in this trillion dollar package. You know, $550 billion -- it will be new federal spending; $73 billion will rebuild the electric grid; $66 billion will be in passenger and freight rail; $65 billion to expand broadband Internet access; as well as many other things that are included in this bill that are a priority for the administration; as well as some of the Republicans that worked on this proposal.

[11:20:02]

DIAZ: So right now, you know, bottom line here is we're waiting to see what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says about where these proposal stands, where the text stands, whether they finished it yet. And then after that, we'll see how they proceed with this legislation, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Yes, a bit of a guessing game up there, Daniella. Senators telling us they weren't quite sure when that legislative text would be done. But hopefully it comes soon.

Daniella Diaz for us on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much. And while President Biden's infrastructure plan moves forward, another

major legislative issue getting sidelined. Congress letting the eviction moratorium expire, and that is setting off a host of issues for struggling families across the country.

More on that when we come back.

[11:20:43]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: The House of Representatives left town on Friday without extending a federal ban on evictions that was put in place during the pandemic. And that means millions of Americans will lose protections at midnight tonight.

Now it remains unclear why this was left to the last minute. All sides kind of pointing fingers here. Some Democrats blaming the White House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she just learned of the need to act in the House. Adding it should be the CDC who should extend the moratorium. But the White House legal team didn't see that as a viable option.

But no matter who is responsible, the bottom line here is more than 11 million Americans are now at risk of being evicted. Last night, Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush slept on the steps of the Capitol, telling CNN she wanted to send a message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CORI BUSH (D-MO): This is our way of saying, hey House leadership, reconvene us like we're still here. Do something. We can't take vacation right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The expiration could impact those still struggling to get back on their feet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Las Vegas looks like a post-pandemic playground these days.

Woo-hoo. In the cold light of day around the corner at the legal aid office in the courthouse --

LESLIE, FACING EVICTION IN NEVADA: All of us lost our jobs, and it was on the strips.

WATT: Apparently, nearly 12 million Americans are now behind on their rent. And the federal COVID-era eviction ban for now expires midnight Saturday.

BARBARA BUCKLEY, LEGAL AID CENTER OF SOUTHERN NEVADA: You are going to see nationwide on the first eviction notices being issued. WATT: And here in the state of Nevada --

BUCKLEY: Seven days later, if you don't respond, you're out.

WATT: Congress has approved nearly $47 billion to help people across the country.

LESLIE: I didn't know that. And I bet you a lot of other people didn't know that, as well.

WATT: She's right. Only about $3 billion was actually dished out through the end of June. Spreading the word is hard and bureaucracy gets in the way. Now, in Nevada --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You cannot be evicted until --

WATT: -- as soon as you apply for that federal money, you cannot be kicked out while it's in process. That's a state law.

BUCKLEY: That's a state law that every state should pass.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't work. We can't pay.

WATT: a few other states like California will keep some eviction protections in place.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Anyone that has been impacted by this pandemic and cannot pay rent, 100 percent of that rent will be paid for.

WATT: And there is one group that will benefit when the eviction ban disappears, squeezed landlords.

SUSY VASQUEZ, NEVADA STATE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION: We have many, many members that have exhausted all of their savings. I don't know how long that road will be before we become, you know, solid again but certainly on the road to it, depending on whether or not July 31st truly is the end of the moratorium.

CROWD: Save our homes.

WATT: But lifting some state level of eviction bans last summer, say researchers, led to more than 10,000 COVID deaths.

BUCKLEY: If families are forced to go to a shelter or double up, you're risking more exposure. Doing it when the delta variant is out of control is a really bad idea.

WATT: Leslie says she was evicted once already, moved in with her mom.

(on camera): And now, you and you mom are --

LESLIE: Yes -- are getting evicted, as well.

WATT (voice over): Nick Watt, CNN -- Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Our thanks to Nick.

And let's bring in Emily Benfer. She's a research partner with the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Also the chair of the American Bar Association's task force on evictions, housing stability, and equity.

Thanks so much for being with us.

Do you expect to see eviction notices going out as soon as this expires tonight?

EMILY BENFER, RESEARCH PARTNER, EVICTION LAB AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: I do. Not only do I expect to see mass evictions across the country and filings, I also expect to see all of those cases that are currently on hold immediately move forward and widespread eviction in all of those cities and states where tenants were being protected from the federal moratorium.

The moratorium was the only intervention in place that was preventing that widespread eviction and housing displacement across the country. And it was a critical public health, evidence-based measure because we know that eviction is associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and infection and transmission that quickly goes across entire communities.

We also know that the people who are at the highest risk of eviction right now are living in communities with the lowest rates of vaccination.

And with the advent of the delta variant spreading across the country, this is putting communities at heightened risk of a surge in the pandemic.

[11:29:59]

DEAN: And we know that this eviction moratorium was allowing people pretty much to defer their rent. So some people could be waking up to really big bills of months of this piling up.

What else are you hearing from families, vulnerable people, who may now lose their place to live?

BENFER: Families are panicked. They don't know where their children are going to sleep come Monday night. They don't know how they're going to cover the past due rent that they're not likely to pay off in their lifetime.

Many of them applied for rental assistance. But with only $3 billion of the $46 billion paid out, they're on hold. And so they're panicked, they're desperate, they're in dire straits.

And many of them know that once you're evicted, that's a permanent mark on your record that will haunt you for the rest of your life. And it serves as a vehicle of exclusion, pushing you to sub-standard housing, to higher crime neighborhoods, to underperforming schools.

And it really places a toll on your health and well-being, even taking years off of your life in addition to the heightened mortality risk due to the COVID-19.

DEAN: And you've said in your research the single biggest predictor of an eviction is the presence of a child. Explain that to us, and also kind of help us wrap our heads around, I mean, children have no control over their circumstances. So explain what you found in your research.

BENFER: I think that's one of the most concerning aspects of this crisis that children will largely bear the weight of this. We know that all else being equal, children are three times more likely to be evicted or families with children than another tenant who has the same amount of past due rent.

In fact, right now, one in three children are facing food or housing insecurity. So we know that they're at heightened risk of eviction as it is.

And this is particularly troubling because children are deeply impacted by eviction. It is an incredibly traumatic experience, as they're watching their toys and their books and their clothes and belongings strewn on the sidewalk, left for trash.

And if they don't recover from it quickly it results in lead poisoning and the brain damage it causes, health problems, academic decline at a time when schools are already challenged and learning is difficult.

And so many more issues even affecting people who are pregnant and children in the womb that it results in pre-term pregnancy and can take years off of their life having an impact across the life course.

DEAN: All right. And I know that part of this, and Nick got into this in his story we just saw, the other piece of this are these landlords, some of whom are mom and pop kind of small businesses. They're not giant corporations that can take on the losses that they've accumulated over time and they rely on the rent they're collecting to support themselves or their own families.

What do you say to them and where is the balance here, do you think?

BENFER: Interestingly, the Eviction Lab research has demonstrated that most of the small mom and pops don't actually have a mortgage in place. That they own the property and are renting it out. Even if they did have a mortgage, the federal government has extended mortgage forbearance and many banks have done the same.

And so this is really a matter of getting that past rent paid to them. And we know that the $46 billion in rental assistance is available and that it's picking up pace.

So the message I think to landlords right now is truly the public health largely rests in your hands. But because of the link between eviction and the spread of COVID-19, it is critical that you apply for rental assistance and wait to evict because of the long-term hardship and also the immediate threat to COVID-19 surge that this will create.

DEAN: All right. Emily Benfer, thanks so much for your insight on this. We appreciate it.

BENFER: Thank you.

DEAN: And also this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Eastern we'll have a live interview with Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush who spent the night sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to send that message to her colleagues about how she feels about the eviction moratorium. We will talk to Congresswoman Bush about that in just a little bit.

Just ahead, the dangers of the delta variant are becoming more clear. So why are some Republicans still mocking coronavirus restrictions?

[11:34:10]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: The FDA is pulling in extra help to accelerate the full approval of the COVID vaccines. So-called sprint teams are working to review all the data and move past the emergency authorization stage.

And this is just another move meant to raise confidence in the vaccines as President Biden acknowledges the likely return of COVID restrictions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, should Americans expect more -- should Americans expect more guidelines coming up, more restrictions because of COVID?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In all probability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Kevin Liptak joins us now live from the White House. And Kevin, how is the administration looking at this particular moment in the pandemic?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they really see it as a turning point, Jessica. But it's not the direction the president had hoped to be turning at this point in the summer. He had wanted to be looking ahead to infrastructure, all these items on his agenda.

Instead, this spike in delta variant cases is forcing him to look at these drastic measures, urgent steps that had been sort of off the table up until this point.

[11:39:48]

LIPTAK: Things like requiring federal workers to get vaccinated or submit to these stringent mitigation measures, and asking the military to look into mandating the vaccine for service members. All of these steps coming as the president confronts the spike in cases. He's making clear to businesses, to schools, to local governments, that it may be the only way to get people vaccinated is to mandate it.

Now, the White House said yesterday, and they're saying again today, that a federal mandate for all Americans is not on the table. They don't think that's even possible.

But clearly, as you heard the president say there, he believes that new guidelines and new recommendations could be coming down the pike as this ramps up over the next month or so.

Now clearly, this is not where the president wanted to be. This is unwelcome news for him and his aides. We're told that he is feeling frustrated about the state of vaccinations in this country, feeling as if he's hit a brick wall.

Now recently, the White House and the White House aides have been heartened to see vaccination rates ticking up. The vaccination rates are up 26 percent over three weeks ago, but with half the country still unvaccinated, clearly, they know they have a long way to go, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Some great insight for us there. Kevin Liptak, thanks for that reporting at the White House. We appreciate it.

And even as we see more evidence of the danger from the delta variant, many Republican officials continue to mock and defy recommendations to wear masks, to get vaccinated.

CNN's Brian Todd has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio mocking Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for wearing a mask and a face shield on an official visit overseas. Tweeting this, quote, "Our sec def is vaccinated but he arrives in the Philippines wearing a mask and a face shield. Embarrassing COVID theater."

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, FORMER NEW YORK CITY ASSISTANT HEALTH COMMISSIONER: This is akin to making fun of police officers and soldiers who want to wear bulletproof vests and body armor in the line of fight.

TODD: A Defense spokesperson responded to Rubio by telling CNN, General Austin was abiding by the Philippine government's health guidelines.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is bypassing the CDC's masking guidelines, signing an executive order leaving it up to parents to decide if their kids should wear masks in schools.

GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS (R-FL): These kids are in school. They have the masks on. When they go out of school and hang out, do you think they're wearing the masks when they're at each other's homes? Of course not.

So it is terribly uncomfortable, and it's something that a lot of parents have been frustrated about.

TODD: All of this despite the government's push to get more Americans to vaccinate and wear masks indoors.

GOUNDER: What these Republican leaders are doing is very detrimental to people's health because they are actively discouraging them from doing the very things that will protect their health.

TODD: Meantime, other Republican leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are pushing Americans to get vaccinated. McConnell narrating this new radio ad in his home state of Kentucky, recalling his own battle with polio.

SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Every American should take advantage of this miracle and get vaccinated. It's the only way we're going to defeat COVID. This is not complicated.

TODD: Alabama's Republican Governor Kay Ivey, whose state has some of the lowest vaccination rates, has been more blunt about who is responsible for the spikes in new COVID cases.

GOVERNOR KAY IVEY (R-AL): It is time to start blaming it on unvaccinated folks. Not the regular folks. The unvaccinated folks are letting us down.

TODD: Now, some of the unvaccinated and their loved ones are saddled with crushing pain and regret.

William Thomas Ball from Mississippi and his wife Alicia initially decided not to get vaccinated. Alicia has since gotten the shot, but her husband's case of COVID has kept him in the hospital for three weeks.

ALICIA BALL, HUSBAND IS IN HOSPITAL WITH COVID: He means so much to our family. He's the rock of our family. We just want him to get better and come home

TODD: Christy Carpenter and her family had been hesitant to get the vaccine. Coming off her own battle with the virus, the hospital employee from Alabama is now telling journalists what she misses most about her 28-year-old son, Kurt, who died of COVID.

CHRISTY CARPENTER, SON DIED OF COVID: You're going to make me cry. Just his infectious laugh. I mean he would laugh from his toes. He was so sweet and loving and just really caring.

TODD (on camera): Infectious disease specialist Dr. Celine Gounder acknowledges that Americans are burned out from all of this, and that the new messaging on masking at least has been confusing for many Americans. But she says the public has to understand the messaging will change again as the science keeps changing. And she urges patients, as America's top doctors try to get ahead of this dangerous moving target, the delta variant. Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Brian, thank you.

And coming up, going for gold. Swimmer Katie Ledecky once again giving Americans a reason to cheer.

[11:44:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Two developing stories out of Tokyo this morning. U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles withdrawing from two individual events scheduled for tomorrow, as another American, swimmer Katie Ledecky wins her second Olympic gold.

Let's take a look at the current medal count. China right now with the most gold medals but tied with the U.S. for total medals.

Selina Wang joins us live from Tokyo. And what do we know more about Biles' decision to withdraw, Selina?

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Jessica, we've learned that she will not be competing in Sunday's event finals in vault and uneven bars, but she is still eligible next week in finals for floor and balance beam.

Now U.S.A. Gymnastics says that she's going to be evaluated daily to see if she can continue. But Jessica, on Instagram, just on Friday she said she's still struggling with this mental block that gymnasts call the twisties.

She wrote that she quote, "literally cannot tell up from down" and it's the craziest feeling ever not having an inch of control over her body.

[11:49:59]

WANG: Now she said she's dealt with the twisties before but it normally takes two weeks or more to get over it.

Now meanwhile, Katie Ledecky continues her incredible run at the Tokyo Games where she has already won two golds now at the 800 and 1,500 meter freestyle. She now has the most individual Olympic golds of any female swimmer.

Take a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE LEDECKY, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: To win just even one gold at the past three Olympics has been amazing. And I never dreamed of making it to one Olympics when I first started swimming when I was six years old. And to have the opportunity to go to three now and to win medals and to hear your national anthem play, it is amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: Jessica, Ledecky confirms that she will keep on competing and she plans to be at Paris 2024.

DEAN: That's amazing.

Also Selina, the number of coronavirus cases are rising there in Tokyo. What are you learning about that? What kind of impact is that having on the games?

WANG: Right, Jessica. Cases continue to surge here in Tokyo, reaching a new record of more than 4,000 cases reported on Saturday. The prime minister has extended the state of emergency here in Tokyo and expanded it to other prefectures.

The country by now is struggling to contain the very transmissible delta variant. The prime minister saying that cases are growing at an unprecedented speed.

Meanwhile, the Japan Medical Association says that if these cases continue to climb, the medical system could collapse.

And Jessica, officials insist that this rise in cases has nothing to do with the Olympic Games, that the bubble has been maintained. And right now, we have more than 240 cases in Japan linked to these Olympic Games.

Now whether or not this bubble separation continues is a question in the minds of public health experts here. But unfortunately, cases are moving in the wrong direction in and out of the bubble, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Selina Wang for us in Tokyo. Thanks so much.

Up next -- stranded. More than 100 drivers trapped by mud slides.

But first, 60 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska you can reach out and touch Spencer Glacier. Getting there will take trains, trails and kayaks. It is all a part of the adventure in week's "Off The Beaten Path".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ILLIYA PEKICH, GUIDE, CHUGACH ADVENTURES: Everybody is like wow, it is breathtaking.

We're at Spencer Glacier in the Chugach National Forest in south central Alaska. Once we're out here, we're kind of away from everything. It's one of those places that are kind of a hidden gem. So it makes it a little bit difficult to get out here, but it's really worth it.

NICHOLAS WRIGHT, RANGER, U.S. FOREST SERVICE: You can't get here by car. So you have to get in the train, make your way out here. So it's this really exciting combination of being accessible while also being remote.

Spencer is although much smaller than it used to be, is still a really large glacier. And as it has retreated, it's left behind this huge lake.

So people come up here both to hike out to the viewpoint but also to paddle along the lake.

You have a two mile paddle to get across the lake so you can get to the base of the glacier. You have all these big, beautiful icebergs that are choking the lake itself. And you get onto the ice.

We have the (INAUDIBLE) on. You get to look at all these really cool features on this glacier.

We're going to be looking for some (INAUDIBLE) some crevices and some blue ice features. This is really dense ice. Yes, it is a cool glacier. It's pretty darn special.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:53:38]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: More than nine million people are under flash flood watches due to monsoon rains out west. The storm set off a mud slide on a Colorado highway but are also bringing much needed relief to some drought stricken states.

Meanwhile in California and Oregon, firefighters are battling two huge wildfires that has burned an area the size of New York, L.A., and Chicago combined.

For the latest, let's bring in meteorologist Allison Chinchar. What are you seeing, Allison?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, Jessica.

The question really becomes can you have too much of a good thing because a lot of these areas need the rain, just maybe not so much of it in such a short period of time. And that's why you have flash flood watches out for over half a dozen states in the western U.S.

Now here's a look at again, where the rain is now. You've got that influx of moisture across areas of Arizona, southern California, pushing into Nevada and Utah. But we're also starting to see it spread into other place.

In the past five to seven days, widespread areas of one to two inches for areas of Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and especially in Arizona. Now, this has been a good thing for Arizona. One week ago, 84 percent of the state was in the highest two levels of drought. Just a few days ago when the new drought monitor came out, that number was down to 52 percent all because of the rain that they've been able to get. The problem is it is not the only state that's in a drought. 96 percent of the western states are in some level of drought. So yes, adding some rain into the mix is certainly going to be helpful.

Now, the reason we started to see that shift of that moisture going from the southwest surging into the Pacific Northwest. And they need it there, too, even if it's not much. Most of these areas maybe about an inch or so of rain.

[11:59:51]

CHINCHAR: But remember, it doesn't take much to be beneficial. Even a half of an inch of rain, that's it, that's enough to stop the spread of the ongoing wildfires.

If they're able to get two inches or maybe even more, that's enough to extinguish those fires. And there's plenty of them, not just in Washington.