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New Day

CDC Says, Delta Variant Puts Unvaccinated in Graver Danger; Another Trump Ally Indicted, Jailed on Illegal Lobbying Charges; Biden Attends CNN Town Hall Tonight with Agenda in Peril. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 21, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: And Bucks are going to have a championship parade tomorrow in Milwaukee. Then Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are going to hop on a plane to Tokyo to join Team USA for the Olympics. Quite a few days for those guys.

All right, New Day continues right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEW DAY: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar alongside John Avlon on this New Day.

And COVID cases are rising in the U.S. along with hospitalizations. This is what we're tracking today. We're going to look at what makes the delta variant so dangerous.

JOHN AVLON, CNN NEW DAY: That's right. And Dr. Anthony Fauci not holding back against coronavirus disinformation coming from one Republican senator.

KEILAR: And certainly not the first time there, right?

AVLON: A rematch.

KEILAR: A Capitol rioter who is a former Army Ranger accused of weaponizing his military training to organize the mob.

AVLON: A Paralympian dropping out of the Tokyo games over concern for her own safety. She'll join us live this hour.

KEILAR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world, it is Wednesday, July 21st.

And America is on alert this morning. The CDC is warning unvaccinated Americans are in graver danger with the delta variant dominating the spread. You can just look at the map here. Coronavirus cases rising in nearly every state, the average number of new daily cases rising sharply, now above 37,000, total hospitalizations surging to more than 25,000.

And here is the sobering by-product of COVID, life expectancy in the United States fell by a stunning year and a half in 2020. AVLON: Breakthrough cases are also causing a lot of concern especially in communities with employee vaccination rates. There is rising anxiety when it comes to kids heading back to school this fall. The CDC director pushing back at those who suggest the pandemic doesn't impact kids.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: I think we've fallen into this flawed thinking of saying that only 400 of these 600,000 deaths from COVID-19 have been in children. Children are not supposed to die. And so 400 is a huge amount for a respiratory season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Let's bring in Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, it's great to see you, so many questions. Why is this variant so transmissible and what seems to be driving these breakthrough cases because that's a real concern for folks right now?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. So, John, delta is just very, very good at doing what viruses are supposed to do, which is getting into your body, replicating in really high numbers and then being transmitted to others. And that's leading to an uptick in cases in the U.S. and around the world, even in countries with high vaccination rates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice over): An alarming summer surge of new coronavirus cases worldwide, a key factor, the highly-contagious delta variant. In the United States, cases are up in nearly every state.

WALENSKY: CDC has released estimates of variants across the country and predicted the delta variant now represents 83 percent of sequenced cases. This is a dramatic increase from -- up from 50 percent the week of July 3rd.

COHEN: And just in the last week, new COVID infections up 47 percent. The CDC warning this is now a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: If you are unvaccinated, you are at great risk right now. And you should take measures if you are unvaccinated, like masking, distancing, avoiding indoor gatherings.

COHEN: Outbreaks in states and counties with particularly low vaccinate rates are fueling the surges in cases. The delta variant first identified in India late last year has now been found in all 50 states.

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: For most people who get his delta variant, it's going to be the most serious virus they get in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital.

COHEN: The delta variant devastated India, overwhelming its health care system and killing thousands of people and overwhelming the healthcare system.

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: This is the most contagious version of the virus we have seen throughout the whole pandemic. It's really very, very contagious and there's so much more virus around. People who were infected have such high viral loads. But even short periods of time, five, seven minutes, you don't have to be within six feet. For people who are unvaccinated, they are getting infected with much, much shorter exposure.

COHEN: According to the World Health Organization, delta is estimated to spread roughly 55 percent faster than the alpha variant first identified in the U.K. A study suggests the delta variant may transmit faster than other variants because it makes more copies of itself inside our bodies at a faster rate.

Scientists in China compared dozens of cases of delta to strains from early in the pandemic. They found that patients with the delta variants had viral loads that were about 1,000 times higher.

[07:05:01]

Vaccinated people can get infected with COVID, but rarely do they become very sick.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now, here is a great reason to get vaccinated. If you are vaccinated and you are exposed to the delta variant, you could get infected, but it's very unlikely that you will get very sick and your chances of spreading it to others dramatically reduced, again, if you're vaccinated. John?

AVLON: If you're vaccinated. Elizabeth, thank you so much, as always.

All right, a Colorado emergency room doctor says the best defense against the highly contagious delta variant is a return to masking indoors and in crowded situations outdoors. In this CNN opinion piece, she writes, COVID-19 is the biggest, scariest pandemic plane ride in the entire world is currently on it together. On behalf of your pandemic plane crew, I am begging, get back in your seats, put on your seat belts, masks and get ready for a rocky ride.

Don't question if we're credible. Don't question if we're intelligent. Don't question if we're Republicans or Democrats or whatever. I promise, as soon as we can hit some better and less turbulent conditions, we'll turn off that seat belt sign, let you take off our masks and relax again. I just ask that you give us grace, space and patience as we try to land this pandemic plane safely and smoothly.

Joining me now is the author of that poetic piece, Dr. Comilla Sasson. Dr. Sasson, it is great to see you, wonderful piece in the CNN.

Look, you can see the warning signs ahead on the horizon, as you say. So, how much of this do you think can actually just be mitigated by putting the mask back on and isn't that easier said than done societally? DR. COMILLA SASSON, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: It's definitely easier said than done right now. You know, I think that there's been this idea that if you are vaccinated, life is good, you don't have to wear your mask anymore and you can kind of move on. And I think what we're finding is that things have changed since May when those recommendations came out and masking is now going to have to be a part of our daily life again.

And I think what's going to be really hard for folks is that I think a lot of folks had said, hey, look, I'm vaccinated, I'm good, I don't have to do anything anymore, I'm protected. And what we're finding out with the delta variant is that it is more transmissible. And we know that because of that, there's got to be multiple layers of protection, one of which is the mask again.

AVLON: We adjust our strategy to changing facts on the ground. I want you to take a look at this. Nationwide, 83 percent of all infections are the delta variant. And in region 8, includes where you are in Colorado, that number is even higher at 93.4 percent. Denver County Hospital, CDC data shows a 40 percent increase from last week alone. And you say the majority of patients are unvaccinated.

So can you explain to us how these infections are happening? Is it from the unvaccinated to the vaccinated, vice versa or we just don't know yet?

SASSON: You know, I think the data is still out. And we know that the vaccine is going to help you from not having to be hospitalized. And I think that's the most important thing for people to recognize. But what we don't know is just how good are they at protecting you from potentially getting it and then transmitting to other people.

And I can tell you right now personally, I'm working in Colorado and California, our numbers are booming right now with people who are both vaccinated and unvaccinated, who are coming to the emergency department to get tested. The big difference is the ones that are unvaccinated are the ones that are really, really sick.

I cannot tell you how sick they are. I've been on the frontlines for the last year taking care of patients all over the U.S. who have COVID-19. And these folks are just sicker than I've seen them before. And I think a lot has to do with the fact that we're dealing with a new variant.

AVLON: So, just such an important to emphasize, even some folks who have been vaccinated are coming down with COVID, it's the unvaccinated who are desperately ill right now.

So, I want to ask you about kids because that's so many of our core concerns, especially those in the 12 and under group who aren't vaccinated and there's no vaccine yet. Is this delta variant affecting them, in your experience, disproportionately and what should we do?

SASSON: Well, you know, I think -- I'm a mom of a four and a six- year-old who are not vaccinated. And going back to school is probably the scariest thing I have right now because, look, I'm going to put them in masks regardless of what anyone tells me to do, and it's going to be hard. They won't be the only ones that are doing it but they need to wear their masks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics just recommended schools go to universal masking for the next year. Look, as parents, the biggest thing we want to do is have our kids be in school so that they're not at home disrupting -- that disruptive in and out of school. And so masking will help us.

And I think also ventilation. And I think that's where we're going to start to see that shift and focus. The delta variant is affecting children. And if we can actually really focus now on getting that air flow better in our schools, getting the masking on, doing social distancing, I think we're going to keep our doors open for a lot longer.

AVLON: We want our kids to be back in school. We want our kids to be safe even more, and there are ways to do that.

[07:10:01]

Dr. Comilla Sasson, thank you for your op-ed and coming on New Day.

Now, coming up, war of words erupting between Dr. Anthony Fauci and his nemesis, Republican Senator Rand Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: And if anybody is lying here, Senator, it is you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: See what led to that fiery exchange.

KEILAR: Plus, a former Army Ranger accused of using his military training to help mobilize rioters at the Capitol, we have some new video from the insurrection.

AVLON: And another former ally of former President Trump under arrest, charged this time with lobbying for a foreign government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

AVLON: Another member of ex-President Trump's orbit is under federal indictment this morning.

[07:15:01]

California businessman and former Chairman of Trump's Inaugural Committee Tom Barrack was arrested yesterday and charged in a seven- count indictment acting as an agent of a foreign government.

Joining us now to explain the charges and what comes next is CNN Senior Legal Analyst and former Federal Prosecutor Elie Honig. Elie, great to see you, as always. So, walk us through the charges here.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, John. So, this is a serious and somewhat unusual indictment. Now, federal prosecutors have charged Tom Barrack with two types of crimes, first of all, a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, sometimes called FARA.

That has three parts to it, first of all, that Barrack was lobbying the U.S. government, in this case, the former president, Donald Trump, second of all, that Barrack was doing that lobbying on behalf of a foreign agent or a foreign country, here that's the United Arab Emirates or UAE, and, third, that Barrack was doing all of that without registering as a foreign agent.

Now, this is an unusual charge. We have only seen it charged about 20 or so times in the last 50 years. However, it's being charged increasingly by the Justice Department because the idea is if somebody is lobbying our government, influencing our foreign policy, our national policy, and they're secretly working for another country, we need to know that, and if we don't know that, that's a national security risk.

Also, prosecutors have charged Barrack with obstruction of justice and making false statements because when he spoke to the FBI, he falsely denied his lobbying activity.

AVLON: Yes, that is frowned upon. As you say, FARA is not usually charged, but based on the indictment, how strong is the evidence here?

HONIG: Yes, John. This appears to be a very strong case. This indictment goes into substantial detail and much of the evidence here comes from emails and texts that Barrack himself sent.

Now, the indictment alleges, first, that the setup was that Barrack would be the only channel to the candidate for the UAE. The candidate here, that's Donald Trump, when he was a candidate in 2016. This conduct began when Trump was a candidate, continued into when he was president.

The indictment also alleges that Barrack lobbied the U.S. government at times successfully, he even at times got specific language included in Donald Trump's policy speeches. And in one memorable instance the indictment quotes an email that Barrack sent after a successful bit of lobbying where Barrack bragged, quote, I nailed it for the home team.

Now, it is not necessarily a crime just to lobby for a foreign country. It's a crime if you don't disclose it. There's a very simple form that you have to fill out if you're a foreign lobbyist, which, of course, Barrack did not fill out. That's where the risk comes in. That's where the crime comes in.

AVLON: All right. I want to move forward here. Barrack joins a long list of Trump allies and associates now facing legal scrutiny, restock the swamp. Walk us through who is currently facing potential legal trouble. HONIG: Yes, John, that list keeps on growing. We have now got Barrack indicted. Of course, a couple weeks ago, we saw Allen Weisselberg, the long-time CFO of the Trump Organization, indicted. The Trump Org itself has been indicted by state prosecutors here in New York. Lev Parnas, let's not forget, he's under indictment federally for helping to funnel foreign money into pro-Trump political action committees.

We also have people not charged but under serious investigation. Rudy Giuliani, under investigation actually for the same crime charge here against Barrack, the FARA violation. Steve Bannon, he was charged, pardoned by Trump, but it now looks like state prosecutors may be picking up those fraud charges. And, finally, of course, Matt Gaetz, we know he is under investigation by federal prosecutors in Florida for an array of very serious crimes, John.

AVLON: Swampy. Elie, thank you very much, as always.

HONIG: Thank you.

AVLON: All right. Joining us know is Peter Strzok, former FBI Deputy Assistant Director and author of the book, Compromised, Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump.

All right, Peter, good to see you. What is your reaction to this indictment?

PETER STRZOK, FORMER FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: I think it just highlights the stunning breadth of the criminality that was going on in the Trump campaign and later in the administration. You see throughout that campaign whether it is now the most recently barrack, his campaign finance involvement and also the inaugural chairman, but people like Steve Bannon, his strategist, and Paul Manafort, his campaign chair, Rick Gates, his deputy campaign chair, Michael Flynn, his national security adviser, and many more were all charged a in the point.

And what's especially notable is that so many of these people sold their patriotism so cheaply. You saw Paul Manafort who was indicted for lobbying for the Ukraine. You saw people connected to Mike Flynn, one person convicted of lobbying for Turkey. And now, of course, you have Barrack working for the UAE. So, it's not just that these people are engaged in criminal activity, it's that they were doing it at the behest of a foreign nation and that they were doing that so very close to the president of the United States.

KEILAR: Taking sides against the family, right?

AVLON: This is the founders really feared and it's extraordinary to see the pattern we just laid out.

KEILAR: Yes. And speaking of that, I mean, let's talk about something we're seeing with one of the alleged insurrectionists.

[07:20:04]

This is Robert Morss. He is an ex-Army Ranger, who -- he's now going to be detained pre-trial. He's not going to get out because the judge said that it's too dangerous. And the judge criticized him for using his Army training and not just any Army training, this is a special operations unit of the Army, slammed him for using that against his own country.

Let's play some video of Morss from January 6th. And i do want to warn viewers that this is a video that contains disturbing images and language.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a look around. Back up. We're going to take our Capitol back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The message that the judge is sending is clear, right? You don't take your training by the U.S. government and use it against the U.S. government.

STRZOK: That's absolutely right. And it's important to note here, not only is he a Ranger, meaning he's been to Ranger school and is qualified, he actually served three tours in Afghanistan with the Second Ranger Battalion. And these are amongst the most elite and highly trained of America's Armed Forces. And the point is he is trained not only in tactics but in being able to go into chaotic situations, to take control and to lead forward. And that's exactly what you saw him doing.

It's the kind of thing you want to see on the battlefield. It's absolutely not the sort of thing you want to see being used against law enforcement who are protecting the peaceful transfer of power in our country.

AVLON: I mean, we should be clear, you're an Army veteran.

STRZOK: I am.

AVLON: And you know, I know, I'm a military spouse. I know a lot of people in the military. And the vast majority of them are law-abiding, honorable Americans. But we are seeing a trend with these insurrectionists, veterans, even some active duty military, and it speaks to this bigger issue. I wonder what you think as you hear some people on the right really saying that the military shouldn't be doing what it's doing to address extremism in its ranks and it's all overblown.

STRZOK: I think that's really misguided. I mean, look, 99 percent plus of current military people, former veterans like myself, are absolutely appalled at what they saw, but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem with extremism because the military is a microcosm of the entire United States. There is a problem with extremism in the United States that transfers into the military. And so, we need to be looking at whether or not there is a problem in the military and, if so, what we do to combat that. AVLON: So, what I wonder about is here you have former Army Ranger using his military training to offer tactical insights to a violent mob. And it raises the question of if this doesn't contribute to potential charges of insurrection, what does? The Justice Department has chosen not to pursue that line to date against the rioters.

We saw some of the first sentences coming down this week and eight month sentence for one man who came into the Senate chamber. And I wonder what you, as a former deputy director of the FBI, think about the reticence of this Justice Department to prosecution under insurrection, the judges being fairly lenient against some of these rioters.

STRZOK: Well, I think it's important to note what we're seeing is the very beginning of the sentencing. So, in the case of the individual who got eight months, this was somebody who voluntarily pled guilty. He was not -- the government can tell or alleges that he was not part of any conspiracy, that this was not some sort of premeditated act. So while that is seemingly a light sentence, it also sets the bottom bar. And as we go and we start looking at people who are accused of much more serious offenses, conspiracy, and acting in a much more coordinated manner, I would expect those to only go up.

And then, finally, with regard to insurrection, that is an interesting question. I expect that if those charges come, they will come later when you see these groups that were acting together, that were working in advance of January 6th. And so I wouldn't necessarily take that off the table yet. But I see eight months is the minimum, not as indicative of what's to come.

KEILAR: Yes. We're very much the middle of this. So, we'll see how all of this develops. Peter, thank you so much.

STRZOK: Thank you.

KEILAR: President Biden taking questions at a CNN town hall tonight in Cincinnati. So, what do people there want to know? The mayor of Cincinnati will talk to us live, next.

AVLON: Plus, Dr. Fauci versus Rand Paul, the gloves come off at Capitol Hill hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: You do not know what you are talking about, okay? You get one person --

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): The NIH (INAUDIBLE) gain of function.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:0]

AVLON: President Joe Biden will be in Cincinnati tonight for a town hall with CNN's Don Lemon. The event is happening in the traditional battleground state of Ohio, Hamilton County, that's often been a key bellwether in presidential elections.

Joining me now for a preview is Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. Mayor Cranley, good to see you.

So, give me your gauge of how you think President Biden has done over the first six months and according to folks in Cincinnati what he should be prioritizing right now.

MAYOR JOHN CRANLEY (D-CINCINNATI, OH): President Biden has done a tremendous job of investing in families and infrastructure, building American jobs and now what the people here want to know is that he can and will follow through on this bipartisan infrastructure deal that will rebuild a bridge between Ohio and Kentucky, that Donald Trump promised to fix but never did.

And so the people of Ohio and Cincinnati are happy that Congress and the president are working together to put money into roads, bridges, clean water, broad band internet which is critical to rural Ohio as well as inner city Cincinnati where we have kids doing homework at McDonald's to get the Wi-Fi.

[07:30:04]

AVLON: That is a stunning image. You mentioned that famous bridge connecting.