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U.S. Breaks Record for New Daily Coronavirus Cases; Brazil Reports over 45,000 New Infections as Bolsonaro Tests Positive; California Shatters Record with Nearly 13,000 New Cases; Trump Refuses to Accept Reality of COVID-19 Statistics; Mexican President to Meet with Trump at White House; Australia's Health Authorities Taking Drastic Move to Contain the Virus; Trudeau Skips White House Meeting with U.S. and Mexican Presidents; Trump Pressures Governors to Reopen Schools; Harvard and MIT Sue Trump Administration over New Visa Policy; Book by Trump's Niece; CNN's Richard Quest Describes His Experience With Coronavirus; Major League Soccer Ready to Resume in Orlando. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 08, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta.
Ahead, the numbers just keep going up and up and up. The U.S. has reported yet another single day high of coronavirus cases with 60,000 new infections
Tuesday.
Despite this, president Donald Trump is pushing to reopen schools, raising questions for parents, educators and doctors over how that can be done
safely.
And as we continue to learn more about COVID-19, a personal chat with CNN's Richard Quest, who is still experiencing the effects of the virus months
after contracting it.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, sometime today, the United States will reach the grim milestone of 3 million cases of coronavirus, propelled in part by a new
high of 60,000 cases in one day.
ICUs are becoming overwhelmed in Florida, Arizona and Texas, places that were quick to reopen after lockdown. The continuation of the flow of
patients is taking an emotional toll on health care workers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
These aren't 80-year olds that were going to die next week. These are 80- year-olds that contracted virus because people just didn't want to wear a mask and they had to go out and have fun.
And it really upsets me when everybody says it's just old people and it's not a big deal. I had a mom and grandmother drive themselves into my
hospital and only one drove home. It's really upsetting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Around the world, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro posted a video of himself taking the controversial drug, hydroxychloroquine. Its
effectiveness in fighting COVID-19 is the subject of much debate.
The video was posted hours after he announced he had the coronavirus. The president downplayed the pandemic for months. His country is second only to
the U.S. in coronavirus cases and deaths.
And Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is visiting Washington today. He's attended ceremonies at two D.C. landmarks and will meet with
president Donald Trump in the coming hours. So we'll have more on those international angles.
But we begin in the U.S. Erica Hill takes us through the latest developments, starting in Florida, where ICU beds are filling up fast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cases surging in the Sunshine State, more than 7,300 reported on Tuesday, 43
hospitals in Florida report their ICU beds are now at capacity. Nearly 3 dozen more are closed.
Yet the governor is pushing forward with plans to open schools next month, touting his State's efforts to prepare for the long haul.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): The whole point of the curve, flattening the curve was to make sure we had enough healthcare capacity. We're in a way
better position today to be able to do that.
HILL: Restaurants in Miami-Dade County told to pull back as hospitalizations there surge. And that curve the governor mentioned,
looking more like a steep cliff. Though it's not just Florida; Arizona now has the highest number of cases per capita in the country.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, BAYLOR COLLEGE: In Arizona, the cases are rising so rapidly that we cannot even do contact tracing. The epidemic is out of
control in the southern part of the United States.
HILL: Texas just reported more than 10,000 new cases, its highest single day increase. Houston's mayor urging the state's Republican Party to cancel
its upcoming convention in his city scheduled for July 16th.
MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D-TX), HOUSTON: I believe canceling the in-person convention is the responsible action to take.
HILL: The Texas GOP is still planning to hold the event adding a mask requirement for attendees. Meantime, the Texas State Fair cancelled for the
first time since World War II. The governor now saying he allowed bars to reopen too soon.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): You have to wonder if they should have ever been open at all because bars really aren't made in a way that promotes social
distancing.
HILL: California's state capital closed after at least five assembly members tested positive. And a new study finds so-called silent spreaders
may account for as many as half of all cases.
DR. LEANA WEN, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: Even the states that are doing well right now should be on guard because they could be next.
HILL: Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right, let's look at the dire situation in California. Sara Sidner is joining us from a hospital in Burbank.
[10:05:00]
BRUNHUBER: Sara, we are seeing a rise in the wait times for testing as well.
Sara Sidner Yes, I mean, one of the things -- we're standing outside of St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. They have coronavirus patients here. One
of the big concerns in California is the number of people being hospitalized.
We are now at about 6,000 patients being hospitalized. Those numbers are zooming up, not going down. Tuesday, I think, marked the 18th consecutive
day that hospitalizations for positive COVID-19 patients have gone up.
And so they're worried, if this continues the way it is, that hospital ICU beds could be filled by the end of the month if they don't get a handle on
this.
We're also seeing positivity rates zoom up here in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in all of California. We are seeing the rate of people
going to tested and coming back positive at 11 percent. That is very, very high and those numbers have also gone up as well. So a lot of concern about
the number of people being tested.
But also the number of people being hospitalized. The one sort of bright spot, if you will, the number of deaths are not also zooming up alongside
all of that. And that may be in part due according to health officials that it's younger people between 18 and 49 that are testing positive more
frequently now with this virus.
And this is one of those cautionary tales. California really at this point, a cautionary tale to other states. California was very strict in the
beginning, first to close down, telling people to wear masks, demanding that that happen across the state.
But then people apparently got lax because, when reopening started happening, people tired of having to be closed in their house and self-
distancing and wearing masks. And we are now seeing an explosion of cases, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Thank you so much, Sara Sidner in Burbank, California.
As coronavirus cases soar across the United States, U.S. president Donald Trump and the nation's top infectious disease expert are saying different
things about just how serious the situation is. While overall fatalities are down in the U.S., Dr. Fauci warns that doesn't tell the full story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's a false narrative to take comfort in a lower rate of death. There's so
many other things that are very dangerous and bad about this virus. don't get yourself into false complacency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think we are in a good place. I disagree with him. You know, Dr. Fauci said don't wear masks and now he says wear them. You know, he said
numerous things, don't close off China, don't ban China, I did it anyway. I sort of didn't listen to my experts and I banned China. We would have been
in much worse shape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: So as you heard there, Dr. Fauci and the president disagreeing yet again, so let's get more on this with senior Washington correspondent
Joe Johns, live from the White House.
First, the president was claiming 99 percent of cases are totally harmless and now he's touting the decline in the death rate. Enter Dr. Fauci. More
conflict yet again.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's very true, Kim, and this mortality rate thing has been floating around here at the White House
for a while. The administration people have been saying you have to look at this, the mortality rate is the number of people who died in the United
States relative to the entire population.
And each country does this. If you look at a list, the United States does not lead that list of mortality rate but it's also not at the bottom. So
this issue has continued to brew.
The president said incorrectly just yesterday on Twitter that the United States had the lowest mortality rate in the world. And that was wrong.
And he corrected it slightly in a tweet just a few minutes ago, when he referred to the virus mortality rate as among the lowest of any country. So
at least he's moving toward accuracy on that issue.
But when you listen to Dr. Fauci -- and obviously he's been banging the drum on stuff like this for a long time -- what he says is there are a lot
of other metrics that you can use to better give you a feel for where the United States is.
And one of the key metrics is just the bell curve, you know, the rate of infection, the rate of deaths and where they're going.
Are they going down, are they going up?
Whatever. He says if you look at a lot of other countries right now, they are pretty much gone to baseline, which means they have ended the first
wave; whereas here in the United States we have not reached baseline and not ended our first wave. So that tells you according to Fauci and others a
lot more than the mortality rate ever could. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: I'm sure this won't be the last time these two butt heads.
[10:10:00]
BRUNHUBER: Let's pivot to the other big story in Washington today and that's the Mexican president's visit to Washington. Mr. Trump, fair to say,
has been fairly critical of Mexico in the past.
Will this visit be contentious, will it be all smiles?
JOHNS: Not likely to be too contentious, quite frankly. Mexican president Obrador is coming here this afternoon to visit with the president. They're
celebrating the kickoff of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. That was the thing that was supposed to replace the North American Free
Trade Agreement, NAFTA, that the president was so critical of during the campaign.
And the Mexican president's coming. They're going to do a statement. They'll have dinner.
But interesting, as you know, Canada is also part of the agreement. And the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, is not coming to the White House.
They passed it off, saying it's because of coronavirus here and in Canada.
But there are some issues about steel tariffs that the president has threatened and some other reasons. In fact, our Kevin Liptak is reporting
that folks at the Canadian embassy in Washington would just as soon see Trudeau here with the president as little as possible, at least until we
know what will happen in the November election.
BRUNHUBER: I can imagine. All right, thank you so much, Joe Johns at the White House, appreciate it.
Australia's second largest city just went back under lockdown in a bid to control a recent surge in coronavirus cases. Many grocery store shelves in
Melbourne are bare. For the next six weeks, some 5 million people are only allowed to leave their homes for essential activities.
It is going to make things tougher for Australia's economy as it sinks into the first recession in 30 years. Prime minister Scott Morrison said that
the country will prevail. Here's what he says about the case spike in Melbourne.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The one in Melbourne is particularly serious. But on an international scale, it is well within the
bend. So it's not surprising.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria has been shut down and police checkpoints are set up. We're going
to journalist Angus Watson.
This is first time that they have shut that border down. The last time was during the Spanish flu pandemic, so tell us what it's like there right now.
ANGUS WATSON, JOURNALIST: That's right, Kim. That's an interesting parallel to draw. The scene has been a tense one all day. The military has
now joined in to help police in this huge task of closing down Australia's two most populous states.
People here are inconvenienced by that. People are used to living and working freely on both sides of the border.
But you know what?
They say that it's worth it if we're going to keep a lid on this disease, which we know is so serious, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: And now Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city, is going back under lockdown and people must be saying, not again.
What is the reaction so far?
WATSON: That's right. So, Kim, it was only a couple of weeks ago that people in Melbourne were celebrating being able to go to the restaurant for
a meal again or go and borrow a book from the library and just get on with their normal life and the things they like to do.
Well, a spike in coronavirus cases; 134 in Victoria today. It means that well, it's turned midnight now and they're right back into lockdown, only
able to leave their homes for the certain essential reasons.
Some good news though. Testing is completed across nine public housing units, where the residents, 3,000 residents there, were in a hard lockdown.
So all of the tests are done. They should be back. The results should be back tomorrow and some relief for those people, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Angus Watson, from the Victoria- New South Wales border. Appreciate it.
Coming up, tens of thousands of Brazilians tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, including the country's president. Now Jair Bolsonaro is promoting
a controversial drug to treat the virus.
And as coronavirus cases surge in the U.S. and Mexico, the Mexican president is set for a meeting at the White House. We'll have a live report
ahead.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:15:00]
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BRUNHUBER: Brazil's president says he's doing just fine after testing positive for COVID-19 and he's giving much of the credit to
hydroxychloroquine. Jair Bolsonaro posted this video, showing himself taking the anti-malarial drug and promoting it as an effective treatment
against the coronavirus, a claim that many studies have disputed.
More than 45,000 new cases were reported in Brazil on Tuesday, including Mr. Bolsonaro, but he says, for many people, there's essentially nothing to
worry about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Younger people, take care. But if you are affected by the virus, rest assured that, for you, the
possibility of something more serious is close to zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Joining us live is CNN's Bill Weir in Sao Paulo.
Those comments sound very similar to what we're hearing from President Trump.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. That's really been the case this entire pandemic. If you wanted to know what the president of
Brazil was going to do, ask yourself what would Donald Trump do and then take it two steps further.
And as far as his message to young people and the country in general that his sickness proves his point, that you can take this controversial
antimalarial, hydroxychloroquine, and get back to work and young people should feel invincible.
This is a line to get to an underground mall here that goes all the way down to the end of the block. But there's a similar sized line, Kim, a
block this way, where people are waiting for food.
The economy here is -- before the pandemic, it was struggling. Now it's so bad and the president has said all along he's going to stake the economic
future ahead of that of the public health. And he's using his own diagnosis, it seems, to double down on the two ideas.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Interesting, it sounds as if, yes, he'll use that case and say, see, I told you; it's not really that serious. But as we have seen
from the mass graves in different areas, that really this country is being very hard hit. Give us a sense of exactly how bad the situation is.
WEIR: Well, there are close to 1.7 million cases but, because of the low testing regimen here, most academics think it's low by a factor of 10. It
could be 10 million or more.
As far as the death rate, it's not as strong but that's a lagging indicator. But yesterday, for example, 1,200 deaths, over 1,000 a day now;
45,000 new cases a day that they're averaging so far from flattening the curve.
And look, this is not the only country that's experimenting with this. Sweden has seen way higher mortality rates than their neighbors because
they have said -- they have decided to gamble on herd immunity. The more we learn about COVID-19, it seems that there's -- there's no such thing as
herd immunity.
[10:20:00]
WEIR: But yes, I talked to the former health minister, fired by president Bolsonaro, who's afraid that he'll come out of this the way that Boris
Johnson did in the U.K. and say we're stronger for it and we should still open up when what really -- what the health professionals are saying, more
masks, more social distancing, longer quarantines, the only thing that will stop the spike.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. All right, thank you so much, Bill Weir in Sao Paulo.
In a few hours, Mexico's president is expected at the White House for a meeting with the U.S. president Donald Trump. They are getting together to
celebrate the implementation of the new North American trade deal.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took a commercial flight to Washington and you can see there, he was spotted wearing a mask on the plane.
And ahead of the trip, the Mexican president, known as AMLO, tested negative for coronavirus but there are concerns about the timing of his
meeting as COVID-19 cases surge in both of these leaders' countries. So Matt Rivers joins me live from Mexico City.
So this is the Mexican president's first foreign trip. Why now?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a number of different theories behind that. You know, we have spoken to half a dozen or so
experts on this very topic. I think the one thing that everybody really agrees on is that this meeting is a distraction in some ways from what you
just mentioned, Kim, these growing pandemics in both places.
Here in Mexico since June 1, deaths and cases have roughly tripled. In the United States we know what's going on there, with the highest, newly
confirmed case counts across the country.
And this gives, if only for a moment, both of these presidents an opportunity to talk about something else. You know, both of them have
staked a lot of political capital in the new free trade deal. It was difficult not only between the countries but the White House and House
Democrats. And the Trump administration holds it up as a win. So does the Lopez Obrador administration.
So it gives them to talk about something they believe is a good thing. But you know there's a lot of criticism here in Mexico over Lopez Obrador's
decision to go meet with Trump.
They say it's basically giving Trump a pass on bullying Mexico throughout his entire term, not only doing that but also engaging in racist rhetoric
against Mexicans and against other Latin American immigrants.
You know, what the Lopez Obrador supporters would say, Lopez Obrador doesn't support those things. But the economy here is in rough shape, we
need the Mexico's -- they need this USMCA to happen.
So there's a lot of different motivations as to why this meeting is happening now, Kim, but certainly it is that part of it is that both
leaders want to talk about something that they believe is a win for their administrations.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be following this meeting throughout the day, thank you so much, Matt Rivers in Mexico City.
And one key figure will be noticeably missing from today's meeting at the White House. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau declined the U.S.
president's invitation. His office cited scheduling conflicts but just last week Mr. Trudeau expressed concern that all three countries involved are
still struggling with the coronavirus. Paula Newton reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He would have likely been forgiven for skipping the handshake but in declining an invitation to the
White House, Justin Trudeau is sidestepping a minefield of COVID etiquette and politics.
For starters, President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have refused to wear a mask in public. Trudeau doesn't seem
to leave home without one.
And it's no trivial thing, but insight into how each country is fighting the virus.
For Trudeau, it would have been like risking a lunch with neighbors you know aren't taking the virus seriously.
SCOTTY GREENWOOD, U.S.-CANADA BUSINESS COUNCIL: The opportunity for awkward moments is endless with the potential trilateral meeting with world
leaders right now and particularly these three world leaders, given their different values system and their different approach to the pandemic.
NEWTON: The COVID curves are moving in opposite directions in the U.S. and Canada. The surge in cases in the U.S. means Canadians are on edge and even
more cautious.
One poll shows the vast majority of Canadians want the U.S.-Canada border to remain closed to nonessential traffic. Anyone who does enter Canada has
to quarantine for 14 days.
And, yes, it's enforced by both health officials and police. Trudeau might have been exempt after attending the trade meeting at the White House but
not his staff. Health and safety were a concern and he said as much last week.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We're also concerned about the health situation and the coronavirus reality that is still hitting all
three of our countries. We're going to continue to work with -- with the U.S. on seeing whether that summit makes sense for us and we will let you
know as soon as we've made a decision.
NEWTON: The decision was no.
[10:25:00]
NEWTON (voice-over): In a statement to CNN, Trudeau's office said he would be "in Ottawa this week for scheduled cabinet meetings and the long-planned
sitting of parliament."
For weeks, Canada has been logging just a few hundred new positive cases of COVID-19 per day. Just like the U.S., though, some younger Canadians are
skirting rules. Twenty people have so far been infected after this night out near Montreal.
But here's the difference. Contact tracing at such low numbers is viable. And in most cases, thorough.
Add to that a growing list of cities and towns now making masks mandatory.
Skipping a trip to the White House was arguably an easy call for Trudeau. And like most Canadians, he won't be crossing the border unless absolutely
necessary -- Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Coming up, 3 million cases by the end of today; 200,000 deaths by November. Predictions for the U.S. coronavirus outbreak are getting
worse.
And the school year in the U.S. is creeping closer but there are still questions about what that will look like. We speak to a pediatrician about
what parents need to know.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back.
Returning to our headlines out of the U.S., sometime today, the country will top 3 million coronavirus cases, by far the most in the world. And the
U.S. reached another unfortunate mark Tuesday, reporting more than 60,000 cases in a single day for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
More than 130,000 Americans have died.
President Donald Trump continues to downplay the virus. He made a baseless claim over the weekend that 99 percent of cases have been harmless. CNN's
Ryan Young is in Houston, Texas.
Ryan, you know, 10,000 cases on Tuesday alone in Texas, hospitals in some counties reaching capacity. It seems as though it's really reaching a
crisis point there.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, that is part of the big conversation here.
I think there are some people who believe the virus has moved on. What we're seeing, though, with these numbers, that's absolutely not the case.
You are talking about 10,000 new cases in this state, really smashing the old record; 1,000 new cases just in the Houston area alone.
You think about the impact this is not only having in the health community and the hospitals but what's happening for small businesses. That's one of
the reasons we were at this location right here. You look at this wonderful fruit from the farmer's market and you know that so many companies rely on
markets like this to get their fresh produce.
[10:30:00]
YOUNG: Well, one of the things that's impacted here is the fact that you have some businesses that are thinking about whether or not there has to be
another shutdown when you see the numbers spreading like this.
In the Texas area, they're talking about schools. One of the things they will do, if you're a child above 10 years old, you will have to have a face
mask, there has to be health screenings on the day to day basis but there are questions from the teachers about PPE and how they'll go through the
cleaning procedures at the school.
There are some who will opt into telelearning but not everyone can afford to do that with Internet or having iPads. But you see the impact. This
place would be normally packed with people coming to shop and buy stuff.
You can kind of see behind me, there was a small farmer who brought 500 watermelons to sell here. It will be interesting if they can move that
produce in the next few days or not.
In the Houston area there's a state convention for the Republicans. We know that will still happen next week. But there are people in this area who are
saying maybe that convention shouldn't happen with the spread of this virus at the pace that it's at right now.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks for illustrating the problem there for us, Ryan Young, in Houston. Appreciate it.
Well, reopening schools has become a divisive issue around the world. UNESCO estimates more than 1 billion children have been affected by school
closures. At least 67 percent of students, 143 countries, have enforced nationwide closures.
And despite the surge in the U.S., President Trump claimed governors and local officials were keeping schools closed for political reasons and urged
school systems to open for next term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The schools will be open in the fall and we hope that most schools are going to be open. We don't want people to make political statements or
do it for political reasons. They think it will be good for them politically so they keep the schools closed, no way. So we're going to put
pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: So is it safe for schools to reopen?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says kids are not any more at risk than adults. But teachers say they are lacking guidance on how to make sure
the classrooms are safe.
Joining us right now is Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric general and thoracic surgeon in New York.
So thank you very much for joining us. We heard President Trump there, he's pressuring governors and local officials to reopen all schools.
Is he right?
How safe is it?
DR. CHETHAN SATHYA, PEDIATRIC GENERAL AND THORACIC SURGEON: Thank you for having me, Kim. You know, my fear is that the issue of school reopening
does become a political issue and, you know, we're already starting to see that similar to masks.
As we know the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with a statement last week suggesting that kids be in schools, physically this fall.
However, there were a lot of fine lines to that statement, including the fact that that largely depends on the amount of COVID in the community at
the time and that schools need to be flexible in those recommendations.
So I think we can all agree, as pediatric experts, as parents, that we want our kids to be in school. But we want them to be in when it's safe. I think
this needs to be a measured response. I do fear that, the way that this is going down and how it's becoming political, will put parents in an awkward
position.
BRUNHUBER: So let's get to the science then, you know, the CDC, as we were saying, said -- we're going to show it here -- based on available evidence,
children do not appear to be at the higher risk than -- for COVID-19 than adults.
But explain for me, you know, anyone with the kids, you know, I have a little guy, you know, your kid gets sick. A couple of days later you get
sick.
So won't that happen with coronavirus as well?
SATHYA: Great question. You know, to start -- it's important to say that the evidence is not great but what we do know so far is that kids appear to
be less susceptible. We know in the U.S. make up about 22 percent of the population but they only comprise about 2-3 percent of the COVID infections
that we saw here.
We do know that the virus is behaving others than other respiratory viruses that children have, where you're right. Usually children are super
spreaders. They carry a number of viruses at day cares and schools and spread them to the entire family.
That doesn't necessarily seem to be the case with COVID-19; hence, the recommendations from the AAP and other pediatric experts suggesting that we
try to get kids to school in a measured way with a number of mitigation factors in place.
BRUNHUBER: OK. So we still don't know exactly why that is happening. There are more questions again around a COVID related disease called multisystem
inflammatory syndrome, where, you know, different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, brain.
[10:35:00]
BRUNHUBER: We remember hearing about that a couple of months ago and that kind of died down.
What more do we know now?
And would that be another worry as kid goes back to school?
SATHYA: Yes. You know, I have a number of parents that asked that exact question. You know, we -- here in New York we saw a big wave of MIS and we
this can have long-term consequences in kids. This is an inflammation of the vessels, they can become very sick.
Fortunately the majority of the children have survived and they have been OK. Having said that, because the numbers overall are so small, right, that
this is a relatively rare disease, we still don't know what the long term effects are.
And I do fear that, with a second wave and with many, many children and younger individuals now getting infected, that we are going to be seeing
more and more of the disease.
BRUNHUBER: There's not a lot of data out there so parents may feel their children or families are guinea pigs.
So how do reassure them?
SATHYA: I think it's going to be difficult for parents. I'm a parent myself and I would have to feel very confident that I think, A, the most
important thing is that the level of COVID community spread within your district is low.
If that is the case, then we know from experiences in other countries, such as Denmark and Finland, that you can successfully reopen schools; again,
having distancing measures in place at the schools, making everyone wear masks, having good hand hygiene.
But if community spread is high, like the way things are going here in the U.S., I don't foresee how parents will feel comfortable sending their
children to school.
BRUNHUBER: So you're arguing against a blanket reopening that, you know, some people in government are arguing for.
Now how should it be done?
Should it be targeted school by school, board by board?
How should the reopening happen?
SATHYA: I think with all of the -- across the United States, the same can be said in U.K. and Europe and the rest of the world, it will come down to
the local district level.
I hope that there's going to be enough guidance for schools that I think it will be difficult in some communities. But I hope they can say, community
spread is low and these are the particular guidelines to have in place to reopen the school and have parents to feel safe.
And for parents to know that children above the age of 5 or so can be mandated to wear masks at schools. Teachers need to wear masks. There are
ways to separate classrooms so that only teachers move from one class to the another.
There are all kinds of different measures that should be put into place, no matter what. And of course, you know, if distance learning is an option for
some families, then take that option.
But as we all know for many families and kids, school is a very important place for food safety and detection of things like child abuse for
disadvantaged kids. So it's important thing to consider.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Important message there, thank you very much, Dr. Sathya, in New York, I appreciate it.
SATHYA: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Well, now an update on a story we covered extensively Tuesday. A change in the U.S. visa policy that could be very disruptive for
international students, two prestigious American universities, Harvard and MIT, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
They're fighting a new directive that would force international students to leave the country if they're attending classes online only, arguing it is
illegal. Many colleges and universities have switched to online instruction because of the pandemic.
A scorching new book by Donald Trump's niece describes a dark and dysfunctional family that shaped the turmoil of the presidency today. The
tell-all by Mary Trump comes from a family member who is also a licensed clinical psychologist. She descriptions her uncle as a sociopath who lied
and cheated to please his father, Fred.
And Mary Trump claims as a high school student, Donald Trump paid a smart classmate to take the SAT for him. She says the family abandoned her
father, Fred Jr., when he became ill.
The White House failed in its effort to block the book's publication. So let's go to our chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter, in New York.
You know, accusations that President Trump is a sociopath. Lots of psychoanalysis to unpack there.
What are the highlights?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And these kinds of claims about the president, these armchair analysis types of
things about the president, they have been leveled by lots of critics over the years. But never by a member of his own family.
[10:40:00]
STELTER: That is why this book is unique after all the tell-alls of the past three years of the Trump age. And I think that's probably why this
book is probably going to be the most personally painful for the president because it's coming from inside the house, so to speak, inside the family
house.
Now, of course, the White House is going to deny the claims but they weren't in the room, they didn't grow up with the president the way that
Mary Trump did. So these claims by her, which are going to unspool in the days ahead -- because this book doesn't come out until next Tuesday -- they
do speak you know, to some of the psychology, some of the challenges we have seen in past three years in the United States.
Here's the big question going forward.
Will Mary Trump be allowed to speak publicly, will she be allowed to give interviews?
As you mentioned, there's a legal effort to stop the book, it failed. But Mary Trump still wrapped up in litigation and is not allowed to speak
publicly right now. There's a court hearing on Friday that will determine if she's allowed to give interviews and speak out.
Will she be a presence in the general election campaign?
Will there be a Trump family member speaking out against the president on the campaign trail?
BRUNHUBER: And the other question there, I guess, if that happens, will that change any opinions on the president?
Or, you know, for opponents, it confirms what they suspect; for supporters it will be tossed in the same dust bin that holds John Bolton's book.
(LAUGHTER)
STELTER: That bin is quite full of these books at this point. There are so many different people from so many different directions painting the same
basic portrait of the president.
I would argue that Mary Trump is a little different because she has a different kind of painting tool. She's able to color in the lines
differently because of her personal experience.
And because she's making some specific claims that have never been made before. For example, President Trump cheated his way onto the SATs to help
get him into Wharton. She is making allegations about the taxes that are new.
So there is some new information but it's the same basic portrait.
Will anything change any minds anymore?
My usual answer is no. But I think books like this matter for a couple of reasons.
One, they do fill in some blanks, fill in the portrait. And frankly, Joe Biden couldn't have written a more effective book against the president. So
I think we'll hear some of Mary Trump's claims used against the president during the election.
Even if that only motivates Biden voters, doesn't change any Trump voters' minds, it could be significant for that reason as a motivator.
BRUNHUBER: As you said, they are claims. The White House does deny all of this. Brian Stelter in New York, thank you. Appreciate it.
Ahead on the show, CNN business anchor Richard Quest opens up about the lasting effects of having COVID-19. The symptoms he says he's still
experiencing weeks after recovering from the virus.
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BRUNHUBER: There are still so many unknowns about COVID-19, especially its long-term effects. Our very own Richard Quest caught the virus back in
April and recovered but he says he's still suffering residual effects.
In a powerful op-ed for cnn.com, he writes, "For those who have not had COVID or witnessed the mess it leaves behind, again I urge you, do whatever
you can to avoid this tornado."
Richard Quest joins me now.
Richard, I mean, we, the public, in general seem to see coronavirus as binary. It's serious, you end up in the hospital, perhaps on a ventilator
or you cough for a couple of days and you're fine. But your experience, proof that there is another outcome. Tell us about your journey.
RICHARD QUEST, CNNMONEY EDITOR AT LARGE: Yes. My symptoms were very much on the lower end, on the milder side. I had a nasty cough. I was very, very
tired, exceptionally tired, extreme fatigue. I was ravenously hungry at certain times; digestive issues. But none of the really seniors, critically
ill ventilator, difficulty breathing.
I thought I got away with it all and then about three or four weeks after, the cough came back and then another 3-4 weeks after that, the fatigue came
back. And they kept coming and going. And along with it came a new form of clumsiness that I hadn't had before.
Look, I'm not some lissome, delicate person. Nobody would ever describe me as being someone who moves with grace and beauty. No. But what would happen
is, I'd go to get a glass and as I'd get it out, I'd drop it or I'll knock all the contents out.
And walking on the street, I'll trip over the sidewalk. And at home here, I'll trip over a piece of furniture or the tripod. It became clear to me
that something odd was going on.
And now the neurologists tell me that, look, I'm not gone mad. Nothing drastic and dramatic but that there are inflammations as a result of blood
-- what happens within the bloodstream that may be affecting me. And apparently, it affects many other people, too. These are long-term effects
that we're only beginning to understand.
BRUNHUBER: You used the metaphor in your piece of a tornado. So explain what that felt like.
QUEST: Right. Think about a tornado. The tornado lands and, for the time that it's on the ground, there is this most ferocious amount of chaos,
confusion. That's what it's like when COVID arrives. Your body goes into meltdown in so many different ways.
Then the tornado goes and you're thinking, there we go, the sunshine is shining now. Fair enough. And you look around and the damage that the
twister has left behind. That's the same here.
So you have -- I'm left with this cough, which comes and goes. It's quite funny, actually. People ask whenever you go anywhere, do you have a cough.
Yes is the answer. But, no, I haven't got the virus anymore.
Then you look at the other things like the neurological issues and you start to look at, for example, the number of strokes that have happened the
heart attacks, the number of -- and the evidence of neurological injury is growing. It's specific, it's not necessarily widespread.
But I think anybody who thinks this is just a bit of flu, go to bed, take a couple of aspirin and all will be well tomorrow, would be -- do well to
listen to the trials of people like myself, who basically say, no, it's not. You're going to be left with something long after this tornado has
passed through.
BRUNHUBER: A frightening warning but we wish you the best in your recovery and the coronavirus hasn't quenched your jocular spirits so that's good to
see. Richard Quest in New York, appreciate it.
While major European football leagues have had relative success after coming back from their coronavirus hiatus, there is a bit of anxiety in
Orlando, where Major League Soccer is ready to resume play. We'll take you there live for all of the latest.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD this Wednesday. Orlando's Disney World is currently the biosecure bubble for a whole host of U.S.
athletes this month so let's bring in CNN "WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell.
Though, it's not without its concerns.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are spot on there, thank you so much for handing it over to me because it really is no question, so much focus
on all things health and safety down there in Florida.
Later on Major League Soccer will be resuming its season amid the ongoing pandemic. Already, though, we know that one team and one of the league's
top players as well won't be taking part. That's MLS superstar Carlos Vela.
It comes as NBA basketball stars have started arriving in Orlando as well as they look to resume their season later on this month. Carolyn Manno
joins us on the ground in the Sunshine State.
Within the last few minutes I spotted Major League Soccer tweeting, "We are ready."
The big question, are they?
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CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: We'll find out. I think what they need to be ready for is an ever evolving situation here. This tournament is
being called the MLS Is Back tournament but the fact of the matter is you have three clubs with players that have tested positive out of 26 before
the tournament has even begun.
I did speak with a league executive inside the bubble who told me all the players who tested positive are either asymptomatic or have symptoms that
are very mild. Still, that doesn't mean a severe infection couldn't happen down the line.
Nashville were scheduled to play later tonight. That game postponed, this after Dallas withdrew after 10 players turned up positive early in the
week. Eighteen players will dress; there are 10 to 30 on the roster, so small numbers here.
There are 750 players and 500 staff all being tested every other day. They're also going to be tested before every match, so inside this bubble
is described as being eerily quiet, everybody is in masks, isolated off the fields.
The league hoping this bubble will get stronger and not the opposite over the next few weeks and that the worst is behind them already. Meantime, the
NBA, Patrick, will be watching very closely to this as they prepare to resume their season on July 30th, the crews laying down practice courts in
what are usually ballrooms.
All 22 teams going to check in by week's end. Commissioner Adam Silver warning that an outbreak in the bubble could result in a shutdown.
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ADAM SILVER, NBA COMMISSIONER: We won't be surprised when the players come to Orlando if we have some additional players test positive. What will be
concerning is once players enter this campus and go through our quarantine period, then if they test positive or we have any positive tests, we would
know we have an issue.
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MANNO: Patrick, that is the sentiment that has been echoed by MLS commissioner Don Garber as well. He has said he won't hesitate to shut down
this tournament if it becomes unsafe.
The question is where is this line of demarcation for what is unsafe?
SNELL: Thank you so much, Carolyn.
Since the return of English football last months, we've been seeing players and officials alike throwing their support for the Black Lives Matter
movement. This accomplishments renewed focus, trying to level the playing field for everyone in the sport and that also includes managers and
coaches, too. More now from CNN "WORLD SPORT" contributor Darren Lewis.
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DARREN LEWIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Football's governing bodies have announced a new scheme to boost the representation in management. While
almost a third of professional players across the country are black or from other ethnic minority populations, those statistics are not reflected in
managerial positions.
[10:55:00]
LEWIS: They said the new scheme is aimed at broadening the base of coaches on 23 placements with those coaches moving into the dugout.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say the numbers are alarming. Let's not go away from the fact that they are alarming, there's only five or seven in the
game. This scheme allows the individuals that are best selected to join these clubs is to work and sort of get their hands dirty in the clubs in
terms of the coaching analysis work or the development of players and the development of themselves.
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LEWIS: The EPL say six placements, which includes intensive training, will be handed out to the chairmanship that sits one below the Premier League.
The coaching scheme does not extend to the Premier League, which is English football's top tier competition. It's something of which campaigners have
been critical.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a little bit overwhelmed, to be totally honest. We've been in this space before where we've talked about lack of
representation in coaching circles but I'm not sure what this addresses.
So I'm just a little bit skeptical as to why the Premier League have not opened their doors up and why there seems to be just an entry level for
these coaches, six coaches over 23 months, the best part of two years.
You know, it strikes a chord to me that will only go so far and I'm just looking and wondering why is it only acceptable to have six coaches and why
we cannot progress something that's rolled out right across the leagues and has a little bit more impact as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: At present there is only one black manager in the Premier League. That's Nuno Espirito Santo, who coaches the Wolverhampton Wonders. Across
English football's 91 professional clubs, only five black or ethnic minority managers. The Premier League and England's football association
acknowledge more needs to be done to tackle the situation, particularly at a time when social movements and the current generation are pushing for
change.
Players across England have been taking a knee to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It's this kind of action that has shed a light
on the issues of systemic racism in both society and across the game.
Management and coaching, well, they're just two of the areas in need of dire change. The success of the new scheme will be something that fans,
players and campaigners will be watching very closely next season -- Darren Lewis, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNELL: Our thanks to Darren for that and we'll stay across all the key developments for you on this.
Kim, back to you.
BRUNHUBER: Thank you very much.
I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. We'll be right back with more.
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