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California State Capitol Closed Due To Virus; Country Topped 60,000 Cases For First Time In Single Day Tuesday; Facebook Audit Paints "Deeply Troubling" Picture Of Company's Response To Civil Rights Issues; Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns Of Other "Dangerous And Bad Things" About Virus; White House Coronavirus Task Force Holds Briefing As Cases Surge. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 08, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, a grim new milestone
looms for the United States. The country is poised to surpass 3 million Coronavirus cases. We'll look at how hospitals are struggling to cope?
Also Donald Trump is set to meet Mexico's President in the coming hours. Why this diplomatic drop-in is raising eyebrows during the pandemic? And
Facebook under fire, organizers of an ad boycott say the social media giant isn't doing enough to deal with hate speech.
U.S. President Donald Trump says his country is in a good place when it comes to the Coronavirus. However, the situation in hospitals tells a very
different story. Across the country, ICUs are filling up fast, especially in the hardest hit states like Texas, Florida and California.
The U.S. is set to pass 3 million cases of Coronavirus later today this after 60,000 cases were reported just on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mexican
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is in Washington for meetings with President Trump.
After a morning of ceremonies at D.C. landmarks, he heads to the White House in a few hours, recognized the United States Mexico-Canada Trade
agreement. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opted out of the meeting.
And Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro who is battling COVID-19 posted a video himself taking the controversial drug Hydroxychloroquine. There has
been much debate over the drug's effectiveness. For months, Mr. Bolsonaro downplayed the seriousness of the virus.
Many Intensive Care Units in the U.S are overwhelmed, nurses and doctors are exhausted and the number of COVID-19 cases just keep surging. Top
public health officials do not see that grim pattern changing any time soon. Rosa Flores brings us the latest.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A record-breaking day in the United States seeing over 60,000 new Coronavirus cases Tuesday according to Johns Hopkins
University, the highest since the start of the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: There is nothing to stop this train. There is nothing to stop this steep acceleration in the number
of cases. This is a public health crisis. This is a public health disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Florida is one of the top five states reporting the most new infections on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA GOVERNOR: We have no doubt seen a major increase in cases. The median age of our new cases was in the 50s about a month and
a half ago. Now that's dropped into the 30s. People who are healthy and under 40, you know, the death rate on this thing is very close to zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Earlier the nation's top infectious disease expert warned this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's a false narrative to take comfort in a lower rate of death.
There are so many other things that are very dangerous and bad about this virus. Don't get yourself into forced complacency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Arizona is another hot spot, hospitals there becoming increasingly overwhelmed, and people also facing long lines for testing with delays in
getting back results.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE GALLEGO (D), PHOENIX, ARIZONA MAYOR: We need medical professionals, we need testing kits and we need supplies immediately. Our hospitals are
already in dire straits and they tell us that in the next two weeks, it is going to get to an unbearable level of crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: It's a similar story in California, with Coronavirus hospitalizations at an all-time high and a slow turnaround time from
diagnostic labs. Throughout Florida hospitals, 56 intensive care units have already hit capacity, and an additional 35 show a bed availability of 10
percent or less.
Still, Governor Ron DeSantis will not reveal official state numbers on how many COVID-19 patients are within Florida hospitals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DESANTIS: So all the data that goes into this is all available.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: --from that data, Governor, it is not available.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: And in Texas, hospitals in Houston could soon also reach their limits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON, TEXAS MAYOR: The next two weeks will be important, will be critical. So it's not just about providing beds but the
staffing that goes right along with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Texas has reported over 10,000 new cases Tuesday, its highest single day count so far. Governor Greg Abbott telling residents to follow
the statewide mandatory mask requirement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS GOVERNOR: The last thing that we want to do is to shut Texas back down. We will not have to shut it down if everyone will
follow this very simple rule, and that is just get a mask like this, wear it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:05:00]
BRUNHUBER: In the entire state of California, there were only 167 ICU beds available Tuesday. One emergency room doctor there tells CNN so many
patients are coming in, he's having to make tough decisions about resources.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MURTAZA AKHTER, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, VALLEYWISE HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: There are decisions I'm making in the ER that, to put it mildly, are very
tough. I don't know how much more clearly you tell it to the people. It's actually becoming demoralizing.
Emergency medicine is a specialty, we signed up for it. I'm used to that, but it's not common to come out of the shift and feel like you are losing
hope. And what's happening is I'm going to the shifts making some very tough decisions.
And I'm driving home, I'm seeing people who are clearly not distancing, having the fourth of July celebrations, being in big congregate settings
and it feels like what I'm doing is futile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: We're now into California where hospitals saw COVID cases jump more than 3 percent on Tuesday. This has lines for testing there, grow
longer and longer. So for more on how hospitals are coping, let's bring in Doctor Stephen Parodi from the Permanente Medical Group in Oaklyn,
California?
Thank you very much for joining us. Things have changed a lot since we spoke a couple of months ago for the worse. Unfortunately just give me a
sense of what you're seeing right now in your hospitals?
DR. STEPHEN PARODI, ASSOC. EXEC. DIRECTOR, THE PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP: Good to be with you this morning, Kim. The reality is that we're seeing
record number of cases in our hospital system, and we have more than 800 individuals that are hospitalized within the Kaiser Permanente System in
California.
We're seeing record number of calls into our call center, which really tells me that we're still seeing increased amounts of transmission in the
communities. This is putting a stress on the hospital system, on our emergency rooms.
The reality is that we are coping. We are better prepared than we were two to three months ago, so we have more surge capacity. But I remain
concerned, just as the emergency physician who you just had speaking about the ultimate capacity that we have given the increasing spread.
BRUNHUBER: I mean, you say you're coping, but, you know, as we've heard, doctors are having to make these hard choices. How far are you away from
that situation now from what we're seeing in Texas and Arizona?
DR. PARODI: So, fortunately California is not having exercise what we're hearing about in other states which are crisis standards of care. That
being said, I am concerned that if we don't reverse this trend that we would be facing that same very situation.
It is not too late to actually take action at a public health level and at a public policy level. And from my standpoint as a physician, as an
infectious disease specialist, it is time to reinstitute a number of those interventions that we had done actually effectively two months ago to
reduce the spread of this disease.
If we don't do that, I am concerned about the capacity of our hospitals, and really, of our health care system from a staffing perspective and from
a space perspective.
BRUNHUBER: Infectious disease specialist and as someone who oversees the hospitals. I mean, what specifically is your biggest fear here? The number
of hospitalizations that's growing, is it the positivity rate? What of all the numbers that we're hearing is sort of the most frightening?
DR. PARODI: You know what, it's kind of all of the above, I've got to be honest with you. So the total numbers of calls that really signify that
people are either developing symptoms consistent with COVID, that percent positive tests which right now for us is above 10 percent.
For me, what that means is that we're seeing not only increased volumes of tests coming back positive, but it also means we have ongoing increased
transmission. So just let me be clear, it is clearly increasing in terms of the amount of spread in our communities.
So the only way to get a handle on this is to reduce that. People got to wear their masks, people got to wash their hands, they've got to reduce
unnecessary contact in the community, they've got to follow the public health orders.
That's the only way we're going to get a handle on this. Because the hospitalizations are sort of an end result from my standpoint. So the fact
that we're still seeing increases in hospitalizations tells me that we're in for continued increases over the next two to three weeks.
BRUNHUBER: So, you know, personal responsibility, wearing masks, all the things you talked about just now are very important, but what about the
federal leadership? We've heard from a variety of medical experts talk about the lack of leadership at that level. What would you like to see? Is
it more concrete help or more symbolic efforts like the President wearing a mask? Would that help?
[11:10:00]
DR. PARODI: I think that at a fundamental level, modeling the behavior that we want people to do is critically important. Seeing our top public
officials endorsing that, really using that bully pulpit, is key to leading the way.
The second thing is concrete action. Getting help like the Mayors are asking for that I've heard over the last couple days when it comes to
supplies, appropriate staffing and transfers of patients. That requires a level of coordination where the federal and state authorities need to be
working together. That is going to be critically important.
When I've looked at other countries and how they've been able to get a handle on this that is exactly how it happens and coordinating with the
health care system.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, let's hope some of that happens. Dr. Stephen Parodi, thank you very much for your insights here.
DR. PARODI: Thank you for having me.
BRUNHUBER: Well, a debate is raging around the world. Should students be returning to school this year? The UN's Children Agency UNESCO estimates
that more than 1 billion children have been affected by school closures, or at least 67 percent of the world's students and 143 countries have enforced
nationwide closures.
In the U.S., President Trump is threatening to withhold funding from states if they don't let students return for the 2020 school year. The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control say kids are not at any more risk for COVID-19 than adults and have issued guidelines for going back. But teachers say
they haven't been given enough support to keep their classrooms safe.
Emily Oster, an Economics Professor at Brown University joins us now from Providence Rhode Island. Thank you very much for speaking with us on this
subject. President Trump has promised to pressure Governors and local officials to reopen schools in the fall. We've heard there from some
experts saying that children should go back to school. So is the President right here?
EMILY OSTER, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I think that there are good reasons to send kids back to school, because it is important for their
learning and because kids themselves are at relatively low risk from the virus.
What I think is very complicated is that there are many difficult things about sending people back to school, most importantly, the rest of teachers
and administrators and other staff. And so to just say, let's open schools, open the doors and let people in is irresponsible.
We need to think about how we can do this safely with a good plan, and unfortunately, we haven't seen a lot of leadership on that.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So what is the economic case for getting kids back into classrooms?
OSTER: The economic case is twofold. First, in order to get parents back to work and restart many parts of the economy, we need kids to be not in their
house with their parents. So a school week that is one day on, four days remote makes it very difficult for parents to return to their employment.
And I think the second economic piece is that schools are important for learning. We know from the last spring that kids do not learn as
effectively remotely, particularly lower income kids, have suffered a lot of very significant learning losses that has long term impacts for the
economy.
So I think from that standpoint, it's very important to get kids back into some kind of more productive learning environment.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So different plans are being discussed, Florida mandating all schools reopen. Is such a hard and fast rule a good idea when
you can have positivity rates as high as 25 percent in some areas, as low as 2 in other areas?
OSTER: No. I think that this is just the lack of coordination the lack of thought in terms of how we can do this safely is almost mind-boggling? So
to have Florida a place which has just had its highest cases in the last, the entire pandemic, say, okay, we're just going to reopen everything as
soon as that happens, I think that's really irresponsible.
But at the same time there are places with very low rates, but I think we can probably open schools safely, and even within the schools opening
younger kids' schools is probably less risky than opening say high schools, and again we just need to be really thoughtful about how we do this?
BRUNHUBER: Now as with everything, this has become a political battle, the President accusing Democrats of intentionally wanting schools to stay
closed just to scupper his election chances. Is there a danger that politics will get in the way of science and expert-made decision making
here?
OSTER: I understand there is just a danger this is what is going to happen. Most places, I think, are overwhelmed with the number of decisions that
they are going to have to make, and in the end politics are likely going to reign. You're seeing this in the case of Florida where the Governors more
or less just said, we're going to open and devil may care about what's going to happen?
[11:15:00]
OSTER: And then there are other places where people have kind of pushed back in very much the other direction, we're not going to open at all or
we're going to open in a very, very limited way even though maybe the risks are low. So I think unfortunately science is not ruling the day in most
school districts.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, - thank you very much for joining us, Emily Oster. We appreciate it.
OSTER: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up next on "Connect the World," as Coronavirus cases surge in the U.S. and Mexico, the Mexican President is visiting D.C.
So we'll look ahead to the White House meeting that's set to happen in just a few hours.
Plus the UK is injecting billions of dollars into its economy to try to help businesses survive the downturn from COVID-19. The plans the
government has rolled out, coming up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Mexico's President is getting ready to meet with Donald Trump at the White House just a few hours from now. But first Andreas Manuel Lopez
Obrador is making other stops around Washington. A short time ago he participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial.
Later when he meets with President Trump, the focus turns to the new North American Trade Deal. And CNNs Matt Rivers reports it's an agreement both
leaders are eager to celebrate.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You might think that President Donald Trump and Mexico's President Andreas Manuel Lopez Obrador wouldn't get along.
Demonizing Mexican has been a key part of the Trump playbook build that wall, Mexican immigrants are criminals and invaders and so on. And for his
part Lopez Obrador was asked in 2017, is Trump a racist?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: Yes, yes, he says, he incites racism.
(END VIDEO CLI)
RIVERS: But since he became President in 2018, Lopez Obrador known here as AMLO has for the most part refused to publicly criticize Trump and when the
two men meet this week, expected to go well. Trump has said he likes the Mexican President and AMLO said this last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBRADOR: I am going to the U.S. to thank President Trump for his support and solidarity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: The two Presidents will mark the start of a new free trade deal that replaces NAFTA. And AMLO says he'll thank Trump for sending
ventilators during the pandemic. But critics in Mexico have urged him not to go saying an Oval Office visit gives Trump and his supporters a pass for
their rhetoric on immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: How do you stop these people? You can't. That's only in the panhandle you can get away with that
statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Some have also argued Lopez Obrador could be used as a political prop, saying the Oval Office photo-op could be used to demonstrate
international support for an embattled President in a re-election fight. Asked about that criticism Lopez Obrador dismissed it and said, the U.S.
and Mexico have an essential economic relationship.
[11:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBRADOR: He says I am not going to the U.S. for politics or elections issues politics is like marking a tight rope. You need to take risks and
make decisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: So as Mexico's economy has been crushed during this epidemic, shoring up the country's most important economic relationship could be at
the top of his mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY RUBIN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEXICO: Almost 85 percent of law exports go to the states, which is obviously a huge number, so Mexico
is highly dependent on trade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Plus there is a lot the two men have agreed on recently. They both have routinely ignored scientific advice during the Coronavirus pandemic.
They don't wear masks and public have pushed for an economic reopening and aren't pushing for more testing.
A new free trade agreement is the reason for the meeting, but it seems like there could be a lot of common ground. Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
BRUNHUBER: Now to a CNN exclusive. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment enquiry against President Donald Trump is
retiring from the U.S. Army. Vindman's lawyer says that after more than 21 years of military service, he suffered a campaign of bullying and
intimidation by the President.
The Ukraine expert believes his future in the armed forces will be forever limited by the political retaliation of Mr. Trump and his allies. The
President fired Vindman in February as long as his twin brother who also played a role in the impeachment inquiry.
The British government is injecting billions of dollars to try to revive the economy. The plan includes a new jobs retention bonus to encourage
employers to bring back their furloughed staff. There is also a kick start scheme that will pay employers to create new jobs for young people. The UK
Finance Minister says although hardships lie ahead, no one will be left without hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: We will not be defined by this crisis but by our response to it. It is an unambiguous choice to make
this moment meaningful for our country in a way that transcends the frustration and loss of recent months.
It is a plan to turn on national recovery into millions of stories of personal renewal. Mr. Speaker, it is our plan for jobs, and I commend it to
this house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Anna Stewart joins me live from London. Anna, there were some huge measures announced there. Some of the smaller ones caught my eye
you know 50 percent off your bill when you eat out. Go through some of the highlights for us?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, that was a very unusual and almost like about just being which we've never had at the UK quite complicated though
50 percent off, if you eat into a restaurant between Monday and Wednesday, up to 10 pounds ahead if the restaurant has applied for the scheme.
So, I'm not quite sure how that one will be rolled out? The big headline once and it was all about jobs, as you mentioned. The furlough retention
bonus scheme, 9 million people in the UK are on the governments furlough scheme, or have been, and that is going to end in October.
And the big issue, the big reason behind all of - today is as that ends, you're looking at potentially mass unemployment, as many businesses
struggle to get on their feet. So that bonus scheme means that if the business it brings back one of their furloughed worker and retains them,
crucially retains them through January they will get 1,000 pounds per employee.
There also lots of schemes designed to help young people who have been considered kind of the worst demographic in terms of job retention through
the pandemic. So measures designs so as an employer creates a job for someone under the age of 25, the government will pay for their minimal age
salary for up to six months.
Also grants for apprenticeships' and so. And so, these were the big highlights. Also plenty of tax cuts, too. So lots to stimulate the economy,
big focus on jobs. The question also the economist wants to know though is how can the UK afford it? How we're going to can cost this up? What is the
total cost? And that is phase 3 of the economic plan and there's no detail on that yet, Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right. Anna Stewart, thank you so much. Organizers of Facebook's ad boycott are slamming the social network's leadership after
what they call a disappointing meeting with the company's CEO. Civil rights and activists group met with Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday over Facebook's
handling of hate speech and misinformation, but it didn't go well.
The social media giant reportedly gave no specific commitments or timeframes for change. One group leader called the meeting, nothing more
than a PR exercise by Facebook. And just a short time ago, Facebook released the results of a two year long civil rights audit which found some
of the company's actions deeply troubling.
So let's bring in CNN's Donie O'Sullivan live in New York, so a double whammy of bad news for Facebook there?
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, REPORTER: That's right. And Facebook commission this civil rights audit into itself, so a lot of people expected that it might
be a bit of a whitewash. But in fact it was highly, highly credit ago of the company. It said that the company was too reluctant to adopt strong
rules to limit misinformation and voter suppression and this happening just within a few months of the 2020 election
[11:25:00]
O'SULLIVAN: It described the Facebook's inaction on woe to misinformation and pose glorifying violence from President Donald Trump as deeply
troubling. Sheryl Sandberg, the company's COO came out today and said that the company had commissioned this report into itself that it was working on
improving.
But she did point out that this report has a lot of recommendations in it and the company does not necessarily need to implement any of them at all.
It's totally up to Facebook what they want to do.
This, of course, all came on the heels of a meeting yesterday between Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg and the organizers of a Facebook ad boycott, and
I spoke to Jonathan Greenblatt. He is the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League who was in the meeting and here is how he said how it went.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Well, I think the meeting was disappointing, to say the least. We had laid out an agenda weeks ago
for Facebook. Our recommendations are simple and straightforward and transparent. They have been published on our website since mid-June.
Facebook asked us for this meeting, and we expected and to share details and time frames to execute on those recommendations. And said we didn't get
any details when he get any timeframes, no commitments, no outcomes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'SULLIVAN: And that ad boycott, still of course, ongoing some of the biggest brands in the world, including Levi Jeans, Ben & Jerry's are all
parted out. And the big question now for Facebook of course is, after that meeting with the organizer of the boycott went so poorly, how long will
this ad boycott go on and will it begin to affect Facebook's bottom line, Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Well, I'm just curious here. I mean, Facebook, the consistent message here seems to be that they're resisting calls for change. Why is
Facebook so slow in seemingly getting the message here?
O'SULLIVAN: I mean they run a platform with billions of people that has billions of posts every day. I think one thing that Facebook doesn't want
to admit is that, they have a platform which they can't really control because there is so much activity on it.
But that being said, the leaders of the NWCP and ADL all the civil rights groups in the U.S. say, yes, you have a big platform. Yes, the challenges
are very big, but you are making huge profits and you could be doing a lot more.
And what they're asking Facebook for is key performance indicators and to open up their books basically and to say, look, here is how we're really
performing on haze.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Donie O'Sullivan in New York, thank you very much for that, I appreciate it. Still ahead on "Connect the World," the U.S. State
of Arizona has seen its most pandemic-related deaths in a single day Tuesday, so how are hospitals coping? We'll bring you a live update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is expected to top 3 million Coronavirus cases, by far the most of any country in the world, and there is another unfortunate
milestone. The nation has reported more than 60,000 new cases Tuesday. That's the most in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
While the pandemic continues to spiral out of control, U.S. President Donald Trump is downplaying the virus, making more baseless claims, and
he's clashing again with the nation's top infectious disease expert over just how serious the situation is? The mortality rate is down, but Dr.
Anthony Fauci warns of more dangers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: It's a false narrative to take comfort in a lower rate of death. There are so many other things that are very dangerous and bad about this
virus. Don't get yourself into false complacency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Arizona is seeing one of the largest jumps in cases. The state had its highest daily death count from the virus on Tuesday, so our Evan
McMorris-Santoro joins me live from Tucson. As well as that rise in cases, a corresponding record low in terms of available ICU beds. I understand
they're now running out extremely troubling news there.
EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kim. The situation in Arizona really is pretty bad when it comes to this virus. Over the past
seven days, this state has still led the entire country in average per capita new cases per day.
Just a large viral load coming on and they're putting pressure on hospitals. We've hovered around 90 percent capacity ICU here in Arizona,
ICU beds available. There are less than 200 beds available in the entire state. In Pima County which is where I am right now in Tucson a largest
county in Pima, the largest city in Pima County that number has fallen to as low as six ICU beds.
That's an alarming number for people who want to try to treat this disease, and public health officials are urging people in Arizona to adopt some of
these measures like masks, social distancing to try and get those numbers down before the hospital system really gets overwhelmed.
BRUNHUBER: What happens to those patients? Are they sent elsewhere? Are they treated in overflow areas? What's the situation?
MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Well, as I said, there's been, you know, some capacity left, around 10 percent, for the past few days. But we have heard from some
doctors and some medical professionals here that that's one of the things they are trying to do here, which is move patients around to where there
are available beds.
That could mean being moved, you know, hundreds of miles away from where you live to an ICU bed available somewhere else in the state. So this is
the kind of thing they're trying to do. There are little valves to keep things open and closed to make sure there is enough capacity to keep
hospitals available for those increasing cases, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. We'll keep an eye on that Evan McMorris-Santoro in Arizona. Experts say a lack of cohesive nationwide
plans to fight the pandemic combined with false or baseless claims from President Trump are proving to be a recipe for disaster.
Let's get more on this from Senior Washington Correspondent Joe Johns live from the White House. We saw yet again more clashes between the President
and Dr. Fauci. Let us know exactly what happened here?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's been going back and forth, as you know, off and on throughout the entire pandemic, and this
is an example where the President of the United States clearly has concerns about politics, concerns about his election.
And the number one highest ranking expert of infectious diseases in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, continues to push the science. So the
immediate example here and the one a lot of people are talking about in Washington is a President's insistence that Americans look at the mortality
rate here in the United States as an indicator of how well the country is doing on the issue of Coronavirus?
On the other hand, Anthony Fauci is indicating that the mortality rate is not a good indicator of how we're doing?
[11:35:00]
JOHNS: And he suggests we use other metrics, such as the bell curve, and that of course indicated the rate of inspection, the rate of death. Is it
going up, is it going down? When you compare the United States to other countries in that way, you can see that a lot of countries that have done
it right have come back down to baseline, but the United States has not come back down to baseline.
As we've all been talking about, the numbers continue to go up in a variety of different states, notably Florida. There are even worries now about
South Carolina. So that's just one of the many examples that you can see where Mr. Fauci - Dr. Fauci - and the President are essentially at odds
with each other.
The biggest thing, though, and we said this again and again, Kim is the President ignores science, especially if he's got a political motivation,
and we're seeing that plate, too, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Now, Joe, one area in which Dr. Fauci and President Trump kind of agree is that students should go back to school, so we're expecting to
hear from a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the Department of Education happening there in Washington. We're just seeing pictures live
now of the briefing room that we're going to go to in a little bit. What do we expect to see here?
JOHNS: It's anybody's guess always with a Task Force, but I can tell you this one of the things that people are worried about while there is not a
plan per se, because number one, the United States government is not the main provider of education, especially K-12 education in the United States,
that's up to localities.
One of the big things the President has said he's concerned about, so much so that he tweeted about it earlier today, is CDC, in other words, Centers
for Disease Control guidelines that were put out in May telling schools how to open up safely, the kinds of things they have to do, the hoops they have
to jump through in order to make sure there is a safe environment even in the midst of a Coronavirus pandemic?
The President tweeting just today that as far as he's concerned, those guidelines are too stringent, and he also indicated that he'll be meeting
with them, apparently meaning he'll be meeting with people from the Centers for Disease Control. He also said their guidelines are very expensive.
So if there's a plan that's coming from the government, it's guidelines to open up safely, the President says he doesn't like them, and the CDC
Director has even indicated he doesn't want the guidelines to stand in the way of schools reopening. This is a work in progress, and we'll see what
happens after that meeting today, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: We'll follow this story and we'll bring that to you if it happens. Thank you so much Joe Johns at the White House. Last hour
Australia's second largest city went back into lockdown. Millions of people living in Melbourne will spend the next six weeks at home to try to control
the spike in COVID-19 cases the city has seen in recent days. Anna Coren reports.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the City of Melbourne prepares for its second lockdown in a matter of months; residents stock up on necessary
supplies and finish their last-minute shopping that will help get them through the next six weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY BLISS, COVID-19 SCREENING CLINIC WORKER: I was a bit nervous coming in, but now compared to the last lockdown; there is a lot more products in
there, which is surprising.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: A surge in Coronavirus cases in the Victorian Capital prompted the state's premier to take drastic but necessary action forcing Australia's
second largest city with 5 million people to self isolate from the rest of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIAN PREMIER: It is as I said not the situation that anybody wanted to be in, but it is a reality that we must confront. To do
otherwise is to pretend that this isn't real, to pretend we have other options.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: With more than 1200 active cases in Australia, Victoria alone makes up two-thirds of the nation's total a surge that has occurred in just over
a week. The Prime Minister warning while the outbreak is serious it is not surprising considering the highly contagious nature of the Coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDOE CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: We're all Melbournians now when it comes to the challenges we face. We're all Victorians now because we're
all Australians. We will prevail and we will get on top of it and we'll protect the rest of the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: But they have already been breaches in the system.
[11:40:00]
COREN: A jet star flight from Melbourne carrying 137 passengers allowed 48 of them to disembark in Sydney without any screening. Authorities now
scrambling to trace those who left the airport without being checked but any such risk is being taken at the New South Wales-Victorian border.
Hundreds of police and military are manning 55 road crossings along a thousand kilometers, turning back vehicles trying to enter the northern
state and potentially spread the virus. It's the first time since the Spanish flue more than 100 years ago that the border has been closed.
Thousands of permits have been issued for those who live in townships that straddle both states, including Chris Carter, whose 29-year-old wife April
is being treated for terminal bone cancer at the hospital located on the border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS CARTER, HUSBAND: Her home is in Victoria kind of thing we crossed into New South Wales everyday need to come to this hospital almost every
day but here in the border closes I'm just like, I'm not going to stress about that. I'm going to stay here and so luckily the hospital could give
me a bed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: The couple met at University and tied the knot three years ago twelve months later April was diagnosed. Family members raise to the
hospital before the border shut after learning her condition has rapidly deteriorated. Doctors have given her only days to live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: It's a bad year for everyone. It's a really bad year for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Anna Coren, CNN.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we're going to take you to Washington where U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is holding a Coronavirus Task Force briefing. Let's
listen in.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: --they lost their lives, and our sympathies are with all of the impacted families. While we mourn
with those who mourn, because of what the American people have done, because of the extraordinary work of our health care workers around the
country, we are encouraged that the average fatality rate continues to be low and steady.
Days earlier this week it was actually 90 percent lower than at the height of this pandemic. Again, it's a credit to the sacrifices the American
people have made to do extraordinary work that our health care workers are doing, and we pledge this Task Force working in partnership with Governors
all across the country is going to continue to work our hearts out 24 hours a day to continue to keep our losses low.
In just a few moments, Dr. Deborah Birx will outline the data that we're seeing around the country. We're tracking literally state by state, county
by county, but she will describe in a moment we're actually seeing early indications of a percent of positive test flattening in Arizona, Florida
and Texas.
Governors in each of those states have taken strong steps to flatten the curve, and again, as Dr. Birx will describe, we're beginning to see early
indications that positivity is flattening, and in Arizona and Florida, we are beginning to see declining numbers of emergency room visits as well.
We believe the takeaway from this for every American, particularly in those states that are impacted, is keep doing what you're doing, because we're
starting to see the first indications that, as we were able to do in the northeast, as we were able to do in New Orleans and Louisiana and Michigan
and other places around the country, we're putting into practice those mitigation efforts, and we're beginning to see indications that they are
having a good effect.
We are focused on the states where more than half of the new cases have arisen, Texas, Arizona, Florida and California, and have received
encouraging reports even through this morning. Strong supplies of PPE in hospitals, hospital capacity remains strong. The one need that we did hear
from Governors across the region is for personnel.
Over the last week, working through FEMA, the Department of Defense and HHS, we've been processing a request to deploy over 1,070 doctors, nurses
and medical personnel. At this point roughly 525 doctors and nurses are on the ground in Arizona, California and Texas. And we're processing a request
from Florida for an additional amount.
We've made it very clear. If you'll recall, we deployed, at the President's direction, active duty military medical personnel to New York, to New
Jersey, to Connecticut, to Michigan, to Louisiana, and we're in the process of doing that again just to make sure that those dedicated doctors and
nurses and health care workers have the relief that they need as we see cases rising in various communities across the sunbelt and we'll continue
to work that.
[11:45:00]
PENCE: We had a conference call yesterday with the nation's Governors. We are in the process of continuing to send every week a detailed by detailed
county by county summaries analyses and recommendations to Governors that are being implemented and well received.
We are also issuing renewed guidance on preservation and reuse of PPE. Again, what we're sharing and not just speaking to Governors but talking
directly to hospitals is that, frankly, because of the historic efforts that Mr. Trump implemented the spin up hundreds of millions of supplies of
gloves and masks and face shields as well the construction of ventilators.
We now have 59,000 ventilators in our supply. PPE, we hear remains very strong but we're encouraging health care workers to begin now to use some
of the best practices that we've learned in other parts of the country to preserve and reuse the PPE supplies.
So our focus is to make sure our states have everything they need when they need it, and we're working closely with all the Governors to make that a
reality. But what brings us to the Department of Education is, as we see to the needs of our states and we focus on the health care of the American
people, we're looking to reopen America and reopen America's schools.
Yesterday President Trump convened a Summit of Educational Leaders and Health Officials at the White House. As the President made clear yesterday,
it's time. It's time for us to get our kids back to school.
The summit yesterday gave us an opportunity to outline and to learn what we might be able do there and in just a few moments I'm going to ask Secretary
Devos to talk about the approach the Department of Education is talking to assisting local communities and states in bringing their schools back on
line.
And also we will hear from Dr. Bob Redfield who has been literally since early in this pandemic providing guidance to schools and will be issuing
additional guidance next week. I wouldn't want to pass on the opportunity, though, not just as Vice President but as someone who has been married to a
schoolteacher now for 35 years, just to say thank you to all the teachers out there.
From early in this pandemic teachers learned how to do the distance teaching and did a remarkable job. Often times having to care for their own
family and make sure their own children's studies were happening. So to all of our America's teachers we say thank you.
We also want to say thank you to the parents. The parents who had to step in and become educators for all of their kids. It's really been remarkable
when you see what our kids have been able to accomplish during this difficult time.
But what we heard again yesterday from the educational officials and what we heard from the American Academy of Pediatrics, it's absolutely essential
that we get our kids back into classroom for in-person learning.
We can't let our kids fall behind academically, but it's important that the American people remember that for children who have mental health issues,
for special needs children, for nutrition, for children in communities facing Persistent poverty, the school is the place where they receive all
those services.
And so this is not just simply about making sure our kids are learning and they're advancing academically, but for their mental health, for their
well-being, for their physical health, for nutrition, we've got to get our kids back to school.
As you heard the President yesterday and even again this morning, we're absolutely determined to work in partnership with our states to give the
guidance for states and communities to be able to safely reopen our schools.
The CDC will be issuing new guidance next week as part of a five-part series of recommendations that will give all new tools to our schools. What
Dr. Redfield made clear yesterday and I'm sure he'll make clear today is we need help.
We don't want federal guidance to be a substitute for state and local laws and rules and guidance. We're here to assist with the shared objective that
I think is shared by every parent in America, which is we want to get our kids back.
We want to get them back in the classroom. We want to get our teachers back in the front of those classrooms. And we have to get our kids learning in
person once again.
[11:50:00]
PENCE: As Congress is still in recess but will gather again soon, we're already are in discussions about additional potential support, although, we
were able to remind Governors about $3 billion is available in the Cares Act for states to be able to assist them as they roll out and restart
schools across the country. At the present moment, we learned yesterday that only 1.5 percent of those funds has been drawn down by states, and we
encouraged the Governors to take advantage of that.
Our objectives, as I said, are to save lives, meet the needs of our states and their health care workers protect the most vulnerable and safely reopen
America and safely reopen our schools. And the good news is we are reopening America.
The jobs report last Thursday spoke for itself, nearly 5 million jobs created. I can tell you - all around the country that the American people
are finding a way to do their part, to put the health of their neighbors first even while we are find a way to get back to work to worship and to
school.
We all have a role to play, to slow the spread to protect the most vulnerable and to safely reopen our country and our schools. So I would
just close before I turn the podium over to Dr. Birx for her report to just simply say thank you to the American people.
Thank you for what you've done so far. Thank you for putting the health and well-being of not just family members and friends, but with strangers,
people you didn't even know, first. We just encourage you to keep doing what you're doing.
Keep heeding the guidance of state and local authorities. Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands. Wear a mask wherever state and local authorities
determine it's indicated, or wear a mask where you can't engage in social distancing.
This is the role that each of us can continue to play, and we're seeing some early indications in some of the most impacted states that Americans
are doing just that. So we want to encourage you on and tell you that we're going to continue to do our part.
I'm just absolutely confident, just as we proved when this pandemic was striking so deeply in the northeast, when it was striking in Louisiana and
in Michigan. The American people know what needs to be done, and we know we can do it.
And we flattened the curve before. We slowed the spread before. And we can do it again, but we've all got to do our part, and we'll do it together.
With that, Dr. Deborah Birx and then we'll get a report from Admiral Giroir before we move to other reports. Dr. Birx?
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRU RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Thank you, Mr. Vice President Pence if I could have the first slides, please. I know
some of you do watch what I wear, if I'm wearing this specially today this comes from the Salt River Tribe. I just want to - mask can be a fashion
statement.
And I want to thank the Salt River Tribe. It was a real pleasure to be out and speaking to individuals around the United States about the issues that
they're facing with COVID-19 to be able to meet with communities, hospital personnel, African-American communities, Hispanic communities and our
tribal nations. That was a privilege last week.
I want to start with Arizona. Just to pick up where the Vice President left off, that orange line is the number of tests performed, and the blue line
is the test positivity. Now this is at the level of the state. And Arizona does have three counties that we're tracking very closely.
Obviously, you know the largest one being Phoenix and Maricopa County. But this does show that the blue line, which is a seven-day average, and thank
you to the data team for these wonderful slides. The seven-day average is showing some flattening and they find that encouraging.
Also equally encouraging at this point, because we know that the test positivity rate is the first thing to increase, and we're hoping it heralds
stability in Arizona of at least reaching a plateau in their curve.
The red line represents the emergency room visits for any of the COVID like symptoms, and this is also an early indicator, and we find that
encouraging. The next slide does show the counties that we're tracking. Obviously the largest County being Maricopa County with the largest number
of infections, but clearly there are issues in Yuma and Pima.
The Vice President mentioned the weekly reports that go to Governors. This is what the report looks like. They're full-side pages. This is Alaska's on
the front page is our interpretation of what we're seeing relevant to their epidemic with specific recommendations related to where with we see them as
far as being in a danger zone.
[11:55:00]
DR. BIRX: They are coded by yellow and red. And it follows that they see everything you're seeing on that first report and boxes - warning boxes and
then each of the counties are represented so that they have in one place five pages from the White House and Task Force that summarizes what we're
seeing, and that goes out weekly.
Next slide, please. This looks at Florida, and you can see in the same way the red line, early suggestions of decreasing emergency room visits for the
symptoms of COVID and some stability starting in that blue line, hoping that heralds a stability in the number of daily reported cases.
We also understand that we went through a holiday weekend, and holiday weekends can impact data on both ends underreporting through the weekend
and then catch-up reporting on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after a holiday weekend.
Next slide, this shows the Counties of Florida that we're tracking. These are the top ten counties in Florida, and you can see each of them have a
different profile. I want to call your attention to the counties that are across the bottom there that are more difficult to see.
Some of those represent Jacksonville and other large metros, including Tampa. When the Governor talks about how they were steady and low for a
long period of time after reopening, this is where that is reflected for almost five weeks after reopening. Clearly there was something that
happened, though.
And those that we're looking into across the board, because whatever happened in Florida happened across the Sunbelt and that all of the curves
and all the findings are mirrored if you remember early on in March and April, we were talking about first the New York metro followed by Boston
followed by Philadelphia, then Chicago.
And New Orleans was with the New York metro. And so it was a series of individual curves. In this case, whatever occurred occurred almost
simultaneously across the south. And so we're investigating that very closely to really see the etiology behind that because that can help us as
an early warning signal. But also help us in the guidance of the American people with what we're asking them to do?
Next slide, Texas and you can see Texas is in a similar situation with their blue line. And we were watching this very closely across Texas. Next
slide but I think all of you know that there is a series of major metros in Texas with significant increase in cases from Houston to Dallas to San
Antonio to El Paso and the McAllen area.
And so the Governors get this type of report with specific recommendations and then finally California where you can see - next slide thank you again
a long time of instability but then this increase in the number of test positives and rapid increase in cases.
Next slide and you can see the majority of the issue is in the Los Angeles area, although we see this with through Riverside, Imperial, Sacramento and
now San Francisco with increase number of cases.
So I want to finish with where the Vice President started about the sacrifices of the American people because in that recommendation are very
clear recommendations that when you have a county with these types of cases, we're recommending everyone using a face covering.
And I think the studies now that have been done showing that cotton face coverings work that does open up the ability for us all to have
individualized face coverings and express our personality.
But in addition I think the work that these Governors have done to and ask the American people to stop going to bars, to close the bars, to move to
outdoor dining, to decrease indoor - any kind of indoor gatherings.
To all of the Americans out there that are in these four states and the states that have - in the report were in the red zone, because there are a
series of other states we have in that zone, is really asking the American people in those counties.
And in those states to not only use the face coverings, not going to bars, not going to indoor dining, but really not gathering in homes, either
decreasing those gatherings back down to our phase 1 recommendation which was ten or less so thank you. Thank you Mr. Vice President.
PENCE: Admiral, report on testing.
ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, HHS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH: Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Since we are bragging on your face coverings, this was made
by a small religious community in Pennsylvania who were helped by the public health service. And they hand sewed these for a lot of our officers
to match our operational dress, the blue uniforms.
So I wear this proudly and I think of that community every single day, everybody pitching in across America to help us all. So in terms of testing
I want to cover three topics. First one is just where we are numerically?
Vice President has already said we are now topping 39 million tests across the country. The states really crushed their goal in June.
END
