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Police And Protesters Clash After No Officers Directly Charged In Breonna Taylor's Death; U.S. Tops 201,000 Deaths As CDC Chief Warns 90 Percent Of U.S. Population Still Susceptible To Virus; Israel Sets Daily Record Of Nearly 6,900 New Cases; Fauci Warns "We Are Entering Into A Risk Period" Amid Concern Of A Second Wave This Winter. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 23, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:07]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're following breaking news. Police and protesters clashing in Louisville, Kentucky after our grand jury declined to directly charge any of the police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor. We're just hours away from a curfew getting ready to take effect there.

There's also breaking pandemic news of the U.S. death toll surpassing 201,000 people. And in stark testimony to lawmakers, the CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield is now warning that 90 percent of Americans, 90 percent of Americans are still susceptible to the virus.

First, let's start our coverage in Louisville. Go straight to the scene our Crime and Justice Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz is standing by.

Shimon, so why were the officers not indicted directly for Taylor's death?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. Wolf, what the attorney general explained, Wolf, was that the officers, the two officers, Mattingly, Sergeant Mattingly and the other officer, Cosgrove, would justify in the shooting because it was Breonna Taylor's boyfriend who fired his weapon and therefore what he was saying is because of that reason, they were justified in firing their weapons, and here's how he explained it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL CAMERON, KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Wolf, there are six possible homicide charges under Kentucky law. These charges are not applicable to the facts before us because our investigation show and the grand jury agreed that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in the return of deadly fire after having been fired upon by Kenneth Walker.

Let me state that again. According to Kentucky law, the use of force by Mattingly and Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves. This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor's death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And so after the detective that was charged, Hankinson, he was charged, Wolf, because the Attorney General says and this has caused some controversy and why we're seeing so much anger here on the streets is that he was charged with firing into the neighboring apartments the Attorney General describing how they came to that decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON: But it shows that officers both knocked and announced their presence at the apartment. The officer statements about their announcement are corroborated by an independent witness who was near in a proximity to apartment four. In other words, the warrant was not served as a no knock warrant.

When officers were unable to get anyone to answer or open the door to apartment four the decision was made to breach the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And Wolf, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend has said that he did not hear the officers identify themselves, all he heard was them just barging in, and therefore that is why he fired his weapon. He thought it was her ex-boyfriend. The attorney general today saying they have one witness, one witness who says that yes, the officers did identify themselves when they -- before they went in and broke down the door, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. A tense situation, yes, there in Louisville. Shimon, you've been covering the protest throughout the day, there is a curfew now set for 9 p.m. this evening. Describe what you're seeing and hearing. I sense things have been very, very tense the past few hours.

PROKUPECZ: It has been tense and the tension has been building, Wolf. Remember for days we have been expecting this announcement.

Probably since last week there were a lot of rumors that this was coming any day. The police put in all sorts of protections, precautions in place, they've closed the streets down.

And so a lot of the protesters who after the decision came down, they knew exactly what this meant and they were angry. They were angry that no one was going to be held responsible, at least in the indictment for the death of Breonna Taylor. And so they took to the streets, they marched, they protested.

And we were marching for about an hour and a half till we got to this location, this scene. And for whatever reason, still unclear, the police decided they were going to block them off and prevent the protesters from marching any longer and they moved in. They started making arrests. They were trying to get people off the street.

And for the last hour or so, it's been pretty peaceful. A lot of the protesters have left. They did make several arrests. And so that is the situation now.

Again, there is this curfew, the curfew that goes until -- that starts at 9 p.m.

[17:05:03]

There's a lot of concern from city official that as we get into the night we could see some unrest. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We'll stay in very close touch with you Shimon Prokupecz on the scene for us in Louisville.

Joining us now, Steven Romines, the director -- the attorney, I should say for Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Steven, thank you so much for joining us.

You heard the attorney general say officers Cosgrave and Mattingly were justified in firing their weapons because they were returning fire from your client, Kenneth Walker. So what's your response right now knowing what we all know to the attorney general?

STEVEN ROMINES, ATTORNEY FOR KENNETH WALKER: Well, a prosecutor can indict anybody he wants and indict him for whatever he wants. That that is a note. And what it is they did not want to indict anyone for Breonna Taylor's murder.

You know, there are several things that following up on to what he just indicated. He said that they announced, knocking announced and that was corroborated by one witness. A dozen, literally a dozen witnesses have testified they did not announce.

The witness who they choose to rely on actually gave a recorded statement immediately afterwards, in which he says they did not announce they were police. Police, they interviewed him three more times. And he ultimately changed the story and said they announced. They didn't present the dozen witnesses who said they did not announce. OK.

BLITZER: The attorney general also insisted --

ROMINES: So, cherry picked whatever things.

BLITZER: As you heard, the attorney general also insisted that this was not a no knock warrant. He says the officers knocked on the door, announced their presence, said their account is backed up.

Once again, as you pointed out you -- this one independent witness, although other witnesses deny that. So that differs from the account given by your client. Explain what your clients said happened in this very, very sad case.

ROMINES: OK. So, Mr. Walker testified -- was interviewed by police that night, and he said they were banging on the door about 1:30 telling who is, who is it? And suddenly the door burst open, I fired a shot into the -- to the ground. A dozen witnesses testified they never heard them announces police, including the one that they're now relying on. OK.

The only people who said that they announced this police were the two cops who were -- at charter they obviously going to say after they kill an unarmed woman with, you know, shoot her six times, multiple times while she's on the ground, right?

And, but more importantly, Wolf, was this, there are two neighbors who called 911 that night. And then their 911 calls, they're saying, they're shooting here, please send the police. OK. That is at that very time.

Now, they want to say, we announced. Well, the people who are calling 911 didn't hear him announce. They're asking them to send the police.

And so the other thing about is, the attorney general says they're justified. Every citizen in the United States who has a self-defense claim in a murder case gets to present it to a jury. Only in this case, or when it's a police shooting, does a prosecutor by prosecutorial fiat say oh, no, they were justified, and we're not even going to go forward.

If they've got a defense, which they do, let them present it to a jury and see if a jury agrees with them. But don't just cut. You know, our system of justice depends on jurors and letting jurors decide. It is not prosecutors acting as kings and saying no, we're not going to charge whoever we don't want to charge. And that's what's occurred here.

They presented whatever evidence they chose, and to direct -- to get the indictment that they wanted. And it is a tragic. I mean, it is -- and here's the thing about it too is, everything I put I say to you today, let them release the evidence because I've seen it. Let them release the evidence and compare what I tell you to what Attorney General Cameron said today.

I can promise you what I'm saying will be proven out by the evidence. What he said will not be.

BLITZER: Steven Remines, thank you very much for joining us on this important day indeed. Appreciate it. We will certainly stay in close touch with you.

There's more we have to discuss right now in the breaking news we're following. Joining us the former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey also was the Police Chief here in Washington D.C., also the President and CEO of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson and the CNN Chief Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

You know, Derrick, let's talk about the NAACP, you've issued a statement saying the justice system failed Breonna Taylor. So what's your reaction to these charges? What we just heard from the lawyer for Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. [17:10:04]

DERRICK JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: Well, it shows you that we are actually seeing another broken system. They value in police officers over the lives of someone who was taken innocently. What's going to happen with these two officers tomorrow? Will they be allowed to get in a patrol car and patrolling in the same community? What's going to happen to all of the citizens of Louisville, Kentucky who know that not only are they subject to be killed by law enforcement, but the district attorney or a special prosecutor or state attorney will not hold officers accountable.

This is a something that we are seeing far too often across the country. We need police reform. We have a really good police officers, but we have far too many police officers who are abusing their authority and there's no accountability to bring them in.

And then finally, Wolf, this whole system of the grand jury need to be abolished. It's a secret process. There's no way to rebut what you don't know, you have no concept whether or not the district attorney or special prosecutors are presenting accurate information or if they're pursuing any of this vigorously. There's too much discretion. There's too much subjectivity. And as a result of this, the Breonna Taylor family will not see justice.

BLITZER: You know, Jeffrey, Breonna Taylor was only 26 years old. This is also so sad. She was working as an EMT right at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. She was killed. What does it say that none of these police officers today even relate to her death itself that the charges were totally unrelated?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. It's -- I mean, this case is tragedy. It's a tragic and heartbreaking. But I have to say, I mean, the facts that the attorney general brought out show that this would be a problematic case to bring.

I mean as, you know, the evidence that was presented in, I realized some of this is contested. But Mr. Walker, her boyfriend, appears to have shot fired the first shot and hit one of the officers. So, it is very different from walking in firing than returning fire.

Now I recognize that that's disputed, but there is proof apparently that that was disclosed today. The bullet in the officer's leg came from Walker's gun, that would be a very difficult fact to deal with in front of a jury.

That of course does not excuse shooting Breonna Taylor on the floor, as the evidence also appears to be. But, you know, as you dig into the facts of these cases, they tend to get very complicated as well as very sad.

BLITZER: And if you're going to file a charges of homicide or anything along those lines, you got to be able to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

You know, Chief Ramsey, the Kentucky Attorney General also said these other two police officers, Mattingly and Cosgrave were justified in their return of deadly fire after having been fired upon by Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, but that still leaves so many questions. Why was there this warrant at all? Why did only one witness here the police identify themselves? There are some significant questions hanging over all of this Chief Ramsey, aren't there?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, there are questions as far as only one person hearing the officers identify themselves. You know, the purpose of knocking and identifying yourself as for the person inside the residence to be searched, not necessarily everyone who's around apartments and so forth. So they did have one person that said that he heard the officers announce office prior to knocking the door down.

The one area that they did not look at that needs to be looked at, and I believe the FBI is, and that is to complain for search warrant. So, what actually brought them there? What kind of information did they have? Was it a confidential informant? Was this something based strictly on intelligence or investigative activities? I don't know the answer to that.

And that's something that I think is very important, but the people who executed the warrants were not the people who apply for the warrant. So they're simply just executing a warrant because they're asked to do so.

The individual who fired a weapon, Mr. Walker, stated that he did hear a knock. Now he says he didn't hear him say police but he heard the knock. When they broke the door down, he fired and it struck the officer, they returned fire. They're justified in returning fire.

This is a tragedy, no question about it. But does it rise to a level of criminal charges? I don't think so for those two officers. For the one officer who fired blindly into the apartment, yes, yes. I have absolutely no problem with that at all. And that is certainly understandable. But there's a lot more information that needs to come out in this case.

[17:15:04]

BLITZER: So, you would basically agree with the Attorney General Daniel Cameron when he said there wasn't enough evidence to go ahead and file homicide charges or anything --

RAMSEY: Yes.

BLITZER: -- along those lines against the two police officers that entered that apartment.

RAMSEY: Based on what he presented at the press conference, I agree totally.

Listen, I worked narcotics for a lot of years in Chicago, and I've served hundreds of warrants literally, there's nothing more dangerous for police to do than execute a search warrant. You don't know what's on the other side of that door. It's always -- it's a high risk every time you execute a warrant.

And we have to remember, these things go down in a matter of seconds. We're looking at stuff now based on a lot of information that we now have after the fact. When they hit that door and went inside they saw an individual fire gun, one officer went down, they returned fire. That's the information they had at the time.

Now it turns out it's -- I mean, it's certainly tragic. There's no question about that. But you have to look at the moment and what took place and that seems to be somehow being lost in this conversation.

BLITZER: Chief Ramsey, thanks so much, Derrick Johnson and Jeffrey Toobin, guys, thanks as well. We're going to have much more ahead, a very, very tense situation that's unfolding in the streets of Louisville, Kentucky right now.

Also, there's other breaking news we're following, top doctors on President Trump's Coronavirus Task Force contradict him as they testified before congressional lawmakers.

Plus, why Taskforce Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx is uncertain whether she wants to remain in her current role. We have new information. Stay with us, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:58]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the U.S. coronavirus death toll has now topped 201,000 people as the country near 7 million confirmed cases. And today lawmakers heard blunt testimony from top doctors on the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

CNN National Correspondent Erica Hill has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Science and politics in the hot seat.

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Dr. Redfield, how is a document published on CDC's website was not drafted by CDC scientists nor underwent the agency's strict scientific review process?

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: Senator the original testing guidance of August 26 had a full engagement of individuals at CDC.

HILL: The head of the CDC pushing back on suggestions the agency is not in control amid shifting guidance on testing and the virus itself.

MURRAY: If I want the best guidance on the latest science, so I can protect myself and my family, can I trust CDC's website to give me that information?

REDFIELD: Yes. We are committed to data and science. And that will be the grounding of how we make these recommendations.

HILL: The head of the FDA also promising politics that won't interfere with a vaccine.

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FDA COMMISSIONER: Science will guide our decisions. FDA will not permit any pressure from anyone to change that.

DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: I hear the right words, but I want to see the appropriate actions that follow.

HILL: Twenty-two states seeing a rise in new cases over the past seven days, almost the entire western half of the country, including former hotspots like Texas, and Arizona.

DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, DIR. DIV OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE, UNIV OF ALABAMA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: The numbers are the numbers you can't argue with them. And they are not going in the right direction.

HILL: Minnesota and Wisconsin reporting sharp spikes over the past week. Governor Tony Evers tweeting this is a new and dangerous phase of the pandemic, extending the mask mandate through late November.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people are OK with it. Some -- there's people that don't even believe in COVID.

HILL: The virus is real. So is the science that masks work.

DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: I've got Democrats who want me to condemn people who are out at the presidential rally. I've got Republicans who want me to condemn people who are going to vigils. And at the end of the day, the virus doesn't care about your politics.

So what I would say to everyone, politics aside, wear a mask.

HILL: Preliminary findings from the CDC show more than 90 percent of the country is still susceptible to the virus. And while vaccine trials are moving forward, Johnson and Johnson's single dose vaccine just moved into phase three. Experts stress a vaccine will not immediately end the pandemic.

DR. JAMES HAMBLIN, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Even if there is a vaccine that becomes available to some people say in January, which would be wonderful if everything goes extremely well. That is not going to change the game.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: And we're just learning the CDC now says thousands of passengers on commercial flights between January and August may have been exposed to the virus. Some 1,600 flights were identified as having had a passenger on board who may have had the virus and that in turn, Wolf, would potentially expose anyone within six feet of them. That amounts to just shy of 11,000 people. Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. That's worrisome too. Erica Hill, thank you very much.

Let's go to the White House right now. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is on the scene for us.

Jim, we heard some very important testimony today about the coronavirus pandemic.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. and some of the most prominent doctors on the President's Coronavirus Task Force are not pulling any punches today warning that young Americans can spread COVID-19 contradicting Mr. Trump's recent comments on the issue at a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Dr. Anthony Fauci accused one Republican senator of misconstruing his comments. And we're learning another top expert on the task force, Dr. Deborah Birx is so unhappy with her role in the administration's response to the virus that she is uncertain whether she could remain in her position.

[17:25:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): At a hearing in the Senate top doctors on the Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force gave lawmakers a dose of straight talk strain repeatedly even the President's recent misleading comments on COVID-19

REDFIELD: A majority of our nation more than 90 percent of the population remains susceptible.

It's imperative that these young adults recognize that even though they are unlikely to get seriously ill from this virus, they are major contributors to the spread of COVID-19 in our country at this time,

ACOSTA: Contrast that comment from Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Robert Redfield with Mr. Trump's whopper earlier this week that young adults are not affected by the virus

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take their head off to the young because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It's an amazing thing.

ACOSTA: Redfield also defied Trump world talking points when he ripped into former Health and Human Services spokesman Michael Caputo who accused CDC scientists of betraying their country.

REDFIELD: I want to add, you know how disappointed I have been personally when people at HHS made comments that they felt that there was a deep state down at CDC.

ACOSTA: Dr. Anthony Fauci clashed with Kentucky GOP Senator Rand Paul, who mocked the infectious diseases experts' advocacy for stringent social distancing measures.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: You know, Senator, I'd be happy at a different time to sit down and go over detail. You've said a lot of different things. SEN. RAND PAUL, (R) KENTUCKY: You've loaded (ph) New York for their policy, New York had the highest death rate in the world. How can we possibly be jumping up and down and saying, whoa, Governor Cuomo did a great job.

FAUCI: You misconstrued that Senator, and you've done that repetitively in the past.

ACOSTA: Sources tell CNN Taskforce Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx is so distressed over what she sees as her diminished role in the COVID-19 response that she's uncertain whether she wants to remain in her current role. According to sources close to Birx, she believes the President now prefers to listen to controversial taskforce Dr. Scott Atlas, who not only has no expertise in infectious diseases, but has flirted with the idea of herd immunity.

A Birx friend said of Atlas, "The President has found somebody who matches what he wants to believe." Adding, "there is no doubt that Birx feels that her role has been diminished."

The White House official pushback on that saying "President Trump relies on the advice and counsel of all of his top health officials every day and any suggestion that their role is being diminished is just false."

The President continues to flout taskforce guidelines on the virus at his rallies where supporters aren't social distancing, and Mr. Trump ridicules Democrat Joe Biden for wearing a mask.

TRUMP: He feels good about the mask. I wonder in the debate, it'll be him and I on the stage, is he going to walk in with a mask?

ACOSTA: The President may be gaining ground on Biden as a new poll finds Mr. Trump pulling even in Arizona and perhaps inching ahead in Florida.

The widow of the late Arizona Senator John McCain says she's endorsing Biden.

CINDY MCCAIN, WIDOW OF SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: Come with me. Let's vote for Joe Biden. Our country needs a new beginning. We need someone with character, integrity, and empathy as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: As for Dr. Deborah Birx, she is spending more of her time these days on the road traveling to states where cases of COVID-19 have spiked.

A source close to Birx said while she feels sidelined in that new role, it is unlikely she will step aside at the moment.

In the meantime, the President weighed in on his hope to quickly replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg saying he believes the 2020 election could end up going all the way to Supreme Court if Mr. Trump's nominee makes it to the high court, Wolf, that justice could face pressure to recuse herself if a contested election case ends up there. Wolf.

BLITZER: Jim Acosta very strong reporting on Dr. Birx. She's largely been at least publicly invisible over these last few weeks. Excellent, excellent reporting. Thanks very much.

Let's get some more on all of this. The former CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden is joining us.

Dr. Frieden, thanks so much for joining us.

You heard the current CDC director testified that Americans can trust what's on the CDC website. As the former CDC director in light of the recent high profile changes flip flops on asymptomatic testing and airborne transmission, do you think that's still true?

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: Well, there's no question, Wolf that the CDC is embattled right now and what they're being fought really is this for standing up for science. And what we see in this administration is a lot of energy going into fighting the science and less energy going into fighting the virus.

Still, CDC has the best public health professionals anywhere in the world. And there's great information on the CDC website. But we need to make sure that something like what happened with asymptomatic transmission never happens again.

BLITZER: Did you ever get any pressure from the White House when you were the CDC director to revise or change the CDC opinions because of politics?

FRIEDEN: Never on a scientific issue.

[17:30:00]

On policy matters, it's absolutely the purview of policymakers to determine what's going to be the administration's policy.

But what's been so striking about the failure of this administration is that even when policies have been approved, whether it's mask wearing or testing of contacts, or schools reopening or reopening of communities, you have a White House that first approved those policies and then attacks them. And that kind of incoherent response leaves an opening for the virus. And that is why we have such a high death rate in this country.

We don't have an organized approach. We don't have focused systematic assault on the virus. Instead, we're seeing an assault on science.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, because the testimony today up on Capitol Hill, Dr. Redfield, the current CDC Director testified that there's definitely evidence of airborne transmission. But he says that guidance was pulled from the CDC website because it had undergone what's called a technical review. Explain that. Does that make any sense to you?

FRIEDEN: Yes, it's hard to know what happened. It looks like this was really a mistake that CDC made, that's really unfortunate. They need to be more careful. The topic of droplet versus airborne transmission is a complicated one. And there are strong opinions on this.

But I can tell you that the consensus among epidemiologists is that most spread is when you're within a few feet of someone. Now, if you're in an unventilated space, and someone's shouting or singing, there can be much more widespread transmission. So, this is something that has to be explained carefully.

But what this comes down to is the need for CDC scientists to be able to speak directly to the American people on a daily or near daily basis. That happened in every prior health emergency. They've been basically shut out of that in this health emergency. And because of that, we don't have a common understanding of what's going on with the virus and what we can do together because ultimately, there's only one enemy here and that's the virus. And the more we unite, but keep safely apart, the more we can control the virus.

BLITZER: Yes, that's a good point. And what worries me is the colder, it starts getting here in the United States, the harder it's going to be to hang out outside, where it's a lot better than hanging out inside, close quarters.

Dr. Tom Frieden, thanks as usual for joining us.

FRIEDEN: Thank you.

BLITZER: And stay with us, we're going to go back to Louisville, Kentucky. We're going to check on the protest, the tense situation, the reaction of today's grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:37:30]

BLITZER: More now in the breaking news in the Breonna Taylor investigation. A grand jury has declined to directly charge any Louisville police officers in the shooting death of the 26-year-old EMT in her own home. That decision prompting protests and clashes earlier with police on the streets of Louisville.

CNN's Don Lemon is joining us right now. Don, six months after Breonna Taylor was so sadly killed by police. How does it feel to finally see some charges but then learn that none of the charges are actually directly related to her death? One police officer was charged with what's called wanton endangerment for firing shots into some neighbor's apartments.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, three times. I guess you could call it bittersweet, but for me, it's just another instance as someone who works in the news media of their being, I would say now, three different justice systems in this country. One for police officers, one for Americans of color and one for white Americans. That's how folks will see it play out. But, really, I think the real tragedy, I know the real tragedy is for Breonna Taylor's family. I mean, how I feel it's, you know, it's inconsequential to how that family must be feeling right now. Not only dealing with the death of a loved one, but have it play out, again, Wolf, so publicly, and then the possibility of unrest around it. It just -- it must be just a too much to bear for them right now.

BLITZER: Yes, I'm sure they're very, very sad. The Kentucky Attorney General, you heard him, Don, he says the police officers did knock and did announce themselves. But listen to the 911 call that Breonna Taylor's boyfriend made that night. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911 Operator Harris, where's your emergency?

KENNETH WALKER, BREONNA TAYLOR'S BOYFRIEND: I don't know what happened. Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, it certainly seems that there are still plenty of unanswered questions out there, Don.

LEMON: There are plenty of unanswered questions. And, you know, today the Attorney General said, you know, he -- they had a thorough investigation. As of Friday, late Friday, they were still gathering more evidence and that they went over all the evidence. But there are a lot of questions going -- surrounding the warrant and the legitimacy of this warrant and whether the warrant was good or bad.

Obviously, it was a bad warrant, because there was no evidence found that police were looking for, there were no drugs. Her boyfriend, the person that they were looking for who her ex-boyfriend was not there. She was there with her current boyfriend, who actually did the shooting was charged and then the charges were dropped. So, it was a bad warrant.

[17:40:10]

And that is why the Attorney General now has put this whole commission or task force around the issuing of warrants now in his jurisdiction, as well, they should because they said that they were -- that they believe that Breonna Taylor's ex-boyfriend was mailing drugs to that address. What evidence show that, what evidence do they have of that? Because when they got there, they certainly didn't find that. They didn't find her ex-boyfriend there either.

And they said that they were -- they went there thinking that she was there alone. Then if she was there alone, why a battering ram? Why would they go -- why would they take -- go to such extremes to knock someone's door down for the possibility of drugs being delivered? It wasn't a violent situation. They didn't say someone was in the apartment, holding a gun or holding someone hostage.

So, there are lots of questions around this, including the Attorney General's credibility, Wolf. I have to say, this same Attorney General gave a speech at the Republican National Convention when he knew that he would be in charge of a big case and would be making an announcement in this case.

I don't think that that was of sound -- I don't know who gave him that advice, but I don't think that was sound advice and of sound reasoning for him to be giving a speech at the Republican Convention when he knew that he would be ruling on a case like this.

BLITZER: Don Lemon, thanks very much. I know you're going to have a lot more on this later tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. We, of course, will be watching. Much more of our news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:46:13]

BLITZER: In coronavirus headlines from around the world, Israel has just set a record for new coronavirus cases in one day. CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem. Oren, tell us more.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Israel is set to tighten its second general lockdown here perhaps severely so because of the surging coronavirus cases. Another record on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health with 6,861 new cases in a day. Far surpassing the old record set just one week earlier of about 5,500 cases.

It's because of that sharp rise in cases that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called and convene the coronavirus cabinet issuing a statement saying the general lockdown needs to be tightened and quickly before the continuation of the High Holy Days to prevent the numbers from going up even further. Wolf?

BLITZER: Oren Liebermann, thank you.

Britain also is seeing a spike, rather a dramatic spike in new cases and a return of tougher restrictions. CNN's Scott McLean is in London for us. Scott, what's the latest?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, yesterday the Prime Minister announced strict new coronavirus restrictions, and today, the numbers show just how badly they're needed. Today, the U.K. recorded more than 6,000 new cases of the virus that's its highest single day tally since early May. The Prime Minister promised that these new rules would also come with stricter enforcement. In fact, he's even allowing police forces to call in the military to help.

This second wave of the coronavirus in the U.K. comes just a month before a government wage subsidy program currently supporting millions of Brits is set to expire. But today, in Parliament, the Prime Minister rejected opposition calls to extend it. Wolf?

BLITZER: Scott McLean in London, thank you.

Coming up, a growing concern about what winter may mean for the coronavirus pandemic. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:52:51]

BLITZER: As wrenching as the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic have been, there's great fear right now that things may actually even get worse with the arrival of fall and then winter. CNN's Brian Todd is joining us. Brian, by all projections, the virus is still expected to claim tens of thousands more American lives in the next few months. What are you hearing, what are you seeing?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those are some dire projections, Wolf. And what has experts worry tonight is the added danger of the arriving flu season which will overlap with the coronavirus pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): The flu shot rush for the fall is on. Millions of Americans trying to bolster their protection from influenza and avoid getting coronavirus as we receive new warnings about a cold weather surge of COVID cases.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We are entering into a risk period and we've got to act accordingly as we enter into that risk period.

TODD (voice-over): The approach will fall and winter has renowned experts warning of a second wave which could turn out worse than the first, and get the U.S. possibly to previously unthinkable death tolls by year's end.

DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, DIR. DIV OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, UNIV. OF ALABAMA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Some modeling out more recently that suggests that by the end of the year, we could actually be close to 300,000. And I think that's not at all unfathomable given the progression of this pandemic.

TODD (voice-over): A respected model from the University of Washington recently projected possibly 378,000 deaths in the U.S. by the end of the year. October was the deadliest month during the 1918 flu pandemic. Experts say these viruses can take off simply when the air gets colder and thinner.

DR. COLLEEN KRAFT, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Whenever there's the air is dry, then those particles can kind of -- the wet particles that come from like a cough or sneeze can kind of linger about a little easier rather than a humid day where they might just fall directly to the ground or be in a sort of a heavier atmosphere.

TODD (voice-over): Another dangerous factor, experts say, fewer of us will have that protection from being spaced apart outside during the winter.

DR. DAN BAROUCH, BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER: People spend more time indoors in more crowded settings so it facilitates person to person transmission. Transmission through droplets or through aerosols intrinsically is more efficient in an indoor setting, particularly in a crowded indoor setting.

[17:55:02]

TODD (voice-over): Schools getting back in session. Those which aren't sticking to remote learning also present a danger, experts say, as children in close quarters start to get those runny noses spread virus between each other, then possibly carry it home to their parents or grandparents. According to CNN's estimate, college campuses in the U.S. have experienced collectively nearly 60,000 cases. Experts are also worried about the double whammy of the arriving flu season overlapping with coronavirus as daily deaths and overall cases continue to rise in more than 20 states

KRAFT: I'm absolutely worried about hospitals being overwhelmed. Because, also, if we have a flu season and a COVID surge at the same time, if, you know, those are going to go together, right? So if the behaviors that prevent flu also prevent COVID and we're not doing the behaviors to prevent COVID, that means we will have both of the viruses. It's really sort of a two for one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: But the experts we spoke to stress this fall and winter don't have to be so dire that there is reason for optimism. They say, if more people take those simple and effective measures of wearing masks and distancing, these could actually be milder seasons coming up. Another reason for optimism. This virus is not going to take us by surprise this fall and winter. We know how to combat it, and there are more potential treatments now. Wolf?

BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting for us. Thanks, Brian, very much. And the Johns Hopkins University reports another 921 Americans died yesterday from coronavirus.

We're showing you some pictures coming in from Louisville, Kentucky. We'll go there, we're going to get an update on the protests that have developed over a grand jury decision not to directly charge any police officers in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor

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